


E L E M E N T A L S

by PinkSakuraFlower1



Category: Original Work
Genre: Amnesia, Childhood Memories, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Elementals, Elements, Flashbacks, Gen, Memories, Memory Loss, Modern Era, Multi, My First AO3 Post, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, POV First Person, POV Original Character, Recovered Memories, Repressed Memories, Supernatural Elements, Superpowers, Teenagers, powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-06-28 11:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 65,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19811659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkSakuraFlower1/pseuds/PinkSakuraFlower1
Summary: Kaitylyn, or Kai in short, lives her day as normal as it could get for a 14 year old highschooler.  Days filled with being with her childhood friends and the friends she made, encounters with her high school bully...all in the process of figuring her life out.It would be a lot easier if she didn't have amnesia. With memories missing here and there, Kai does her best. But when her memory is jogged when she is about to have a firey end, she slowly uncovers the missing memories, her powers, and secrets that are buried in herself.What are her childhood friends hiding from her? Who are the mysterious people that have been after them all this time? What part does she have to play in here?





	1. The Vision

Kai slowly opened her eyes whilst coming out of the darkness. Her brownish-yellow eyes immediately coming across a giant white door in front of her. Its golden handles sparkled brightly, causing Kai’s eyes to squint. Her head craned higher as the doubled doors seemed to grow and tower over her, making her even smaller than she felt before. A soft glow radiating from the doors.

She stared and examined it from afar before Kai heard muffled sounds, compelling her to look around her surroundings to locate the source.

The floor beneath her bare feet were checkered and polished with black and white tiles. The black reminded Kai of obsidian and the white reminding her of white marble. Her eyes slowly moved from observing the floors to examine the figures that stood before her. They all stood away from each other but surrounded Kai, a unique tapestry above each of them.

There were 8 that Kai had counted. Each with their own unique symbol and colours that corresponded with them.

Returning her attention to the white doors, she felt compelled to walk forward to open it. She didn’t remember walking to it and almost as if she teleported to it.

Or did it teleport to her?

Raising her thin arms to open it, her small hands hovered over the doors’ handles. The golden handles were very intricately done with laurel leaves and grooves, it’s overall size much larger than Kai’s own hands.

Before Kai grasped the door handles, Kai heard whispering behind her.

Turning around, Kai saw a door that was similar to the white door. Instead of white, however, it was black with silver polished handles. Instead of a soft light glowing over it, Kai noted the shadow that overhanging it.

Kai turned her body’s attention towards it then, the doors opening themselves as she did. Black mist spilled out of the door, leaking through the cracks of the door.

Through the darkness of the door in front of Kai, she saw a faint figure. She widened her eyes as the figure wasn’t there before.

It grinned maliciously before it disappeared into the darkness when Kai blinked.

At the same time, the door opened itself fully with a loud BAM! causing Kai to flinch at the sound as the sound rang through the entire room. It then sent a bellow of black mist out. Harsh, quick whispers followed that went through Kai’s entire body, overwhelming her.

With her mind clouded and being lured by the whispering, Kai’s body moved forwards and towards the black door. The whispering continued and grew in intensity, persuading her to join them.

Her arm slowly raised up and her fingers went to reach as if it to grab the extending mist.

Peering through the darkness within the doors, Kai could see an outline of a figure. Was it the same figure as before, she wasn’t sure. The form reminded Kai of a small child and as she got closer she could make out the figure’s features. It had short blond hair with the brightest blue eyes and a grin.

Before she could get any further, Kai heard a muffled cry behind her. She turned around when her arm was grabbed firmly in desperation, pulling her away from the door.

A boy with long raven hair stood before her. His violet eyes standing out from his pale complexion. His mouth moved but there was no sound. He tugged her more towards him and the white door behind him.

Kai let him pull her until….she remembered the figure standing by the black doors.

Kai turned in order to see the child once more but when she did, there was no child.

In the child’s place, there was a taller figure with the same features as the child.

Except the bright blue eyes were no long there. Instead, the eyes were replaced with a murky blue that made Kai remember the darkest depths of the sea; the fine line where the colour could be mistaken for the darkest blue that appeared black.

The grin the child had, Kai compared, was playful. The one in front of her was a much more sinister and wicked grin.

Her body turned cold and she shivered to her bone. The tugging on her arm became more and more desperate to the point Kai thought her arm was going to be dislocated.

Turning towards the violet-eyed boy, Kai jolted when she felt something cold grab her other arm.

Her head snapped to the other side and she saw the shadows from the door infecting the room and had grabbed her arm, wrapping their tendrils around her. Looking at her hand that was being swallowed by the darkness, Kai looked at the boy and the white door, noticing it was open.

The violet-eyed boy and several others called out to her and tried to pull her back. The arm that the boy held was ripped away when the darkness yanked her away towards the shadows.

Reaching out to the group, Kai could feel the shadows creeping onto her…infecting her.

Her hand that had reached out to her friend became infected from the darkness; turning it black. Kai pulled her arm away at the last second, afraid the darkness would affect her friends and the violet eyed boy.

Then at that moment, Kai felt the floor beneath her dip and then break.

Falling through the hole in the ground, everything started to get smaller and disappear. Kai’s brown eyes looked away from boy and the other figures screaming and reaching out to her, before she stared at the ceiling with a daze.

The ceiling was nothing but darkness as far as the eyes could see. It was as if she was staring into a deep void.

Feeling numb, Kai closed her eyes while the darkness consumed her… 


	2. Revelation

I gasped quietly to myself, noticing there were a few people around me giving me a questionable look. They stared for a brief moment before moving along- ignoring what had just happened.

I cleared my throat and I realized it was dry. I reached for my water bottle and stared at my arms and hands.

I had expected them to be black from the flashback of the dream I had. But like every time I woke up in reality, they were not black and were just normal arms and hands. My normal, skinny arms and my normal tiny, thin hands.

I reached for my water bottle to take a long, swing of my drink. I enjoyed the feeling of the water coating and re-hydrating my dry throat before letting out a small sigh of relief.

I swirled the tongue in my mouth, enjoying the wetness before rubbing my face with my hands. I took in a deep breath and let it out, trying to rub the tiredness and weird feeling that took over my body.

I had done it again.

I had slipped into my memories and remembered 'that' dream. The same re-occurring dream that I've had since I was little.

I don't remember the exact age that I first had that dream and chalked it up as a childish, imaginative dream. But as time passed, I would have that same dream over and over again. The details became clearer as I got older but I suspected they changed as I grew.

For example, I knew there were tapestries but I never remembered them having their own symbols and colours. Nor did I notice the black and white tiles were made out of obsidian and white marble.

What never became clear was the figures. Whether it was the one from the shadows or the ones that surrounded me.

Though out of all of them, there was only one of the figures that I could make out clearly. And I knew who it was.

The violet eyed boy in my dreams was-

"Well, well didn't get enough sleep Kaitlyn?"

My internal monologue was interrupted and my mood immediately soured. I knew that voice and I hated that voice. From how it sounded to the words she used.

I tried not to give the obvious sigh but couldn't help exhaling loudly through my nose. I closed my eyes to give myself a brief composure before looking at the source of the voice.

"What is it that you want, _Amanda_?" I said, trying not to bite my words.

In front of me, stood Amanda.

_She was taller than me by two inches but with her shoes, she was another inch taller. Her natural dark auburn hair was slightly lightened but did nothing to lighten her almond shaped, dark blue eyes._

Amanda picked off a tiny speckle of dust from her well fashioned clothes, not allowing it her overall look be ruined by the littlest detail.

I waited for Amanda to respond as she flipped her well permed hair over her shoulder before crossing her arms under her breasts.

"What, like I can't ask a fellow classmate how she's doing? Why Kaitlyn I thought you know that I care?" spoke Amanda, trying to be chivalrous with her words.

I tried to ignore the urge to twitch my eyebrows at her tone. I took another deep breath and folded my hands together, keeping them clamped together behind my back.

"You care when it's convenient Amanda" I spoke as calmly as possible. But in order to achieve this, I had to slow myself tremendously due to the irritation in my voice.

My brown eyes flicked to the slightly twitch of Amanda's finger and I noticed Amanda's Adam's apple move. There was a very brief pause before Amanda spoke again.

"Perhaps" Amanda acknowledged before she nodded to her friend, Camille.

Camille proceeded to take out a brightly coloured paper and held it out to me. I didn't move my hands away from my back but I tilted my head to the side. I took the paper with one hand, without moving the other.

I looked down and briefly read all of the words before looking at Amanda.

"A party invitation? You haven't handed me one properly in years Amanda" I said.

I looked at her and my eyes narrowed slightly. I know where she was going with this but I had to let the conversation lead up to it.

"Of course, it's been a while and maybe it'll be like old times. There's one thing however that you need to do..." drifted off Amanda, getting ready to deliver her 'request'.

"And I suppose it's not a present" I thought out loud.

Amanda's face flashed for a moment before her face returned. She smiled at me and gave a huffy laugh.

"No, no- I'm not going to force all of my guests to bring me a present like an entry fee" she explained before staring at me straight in the eye. "If you want to come to the party, I would like it if you invited some more people. Like Jayden...Alex, your little friend group, or even better Hunter-"

_'Ah'_ I thought. There it was.

I knew it.

I looked at the paper once more, as if I was giving it some thought before folding the paper into fours.

"I'll bring it up" I replied, stuffing the paper into my pocket.

I noticed Amanda's eyes narrow a bit and her lips thinned a bit. They twitched and something shifted. Apparently, she didn't like my reply.

"If you do bring Hunter to the party, I'll introduce you to my other friends and you don't have to hang out with your little group that you have right now" quipped Amanda. "Wouldn't that be fun girls?" she said, turning to look at her two friends.

It felt like Amanda had stabbed me with nothing and my body went cold. I gripped the invitation in my pocket tightly in anger. I could feel the blood in my veins begin to roar.

I growled, "What was that about my friends, Amanda?"

Amanda looked at me and I swore she raised her chin a bit higher.

"Did you just insult my friends?" I fumed.

My eyebrows started to scrunch up in anger. My lips started to curl up and the hand that was behind my back was now by my sides, fingers curled around into a fist.

The roaring in my ears started to become louder when Amanda smirked.

"And what if I did?"

I could feel someone calling out to me in a desperate whisper. Someone was grabbing my arm, pulling me back. To hold me back from acting out. I stepped back by a half but I pulled at the grip.

The roaring in my ears started to get louder and almost deafening. My vision started to center and focus on Amanda. My body twitched and something in me threatened to rise, to snap, to release my anger-

Amanda was about to speak and I was about to react in response-

"That's enough" said someone.

The new voice surprised me and made me pause for a brief moment.

A part of someone's shoulder and extended arm crossed my vision, blocking my sight from Amanda. Then I gotten a whiff of the person's smell. It was strong enough to cut through the smell of ozone in the air-

Wait, ozone?

Confusion filled me and I blinked, feeling tired. My vision shifted back to normal and I became aware once again. I remember I was still in school.

The adrenaline in my body started to die down and then I realized who was holding my arm.

It was my best friend and childhood friend Alex.

He tugged at the sleeve of my arm and I stepped back to his side.

I then immediately looked and saw who the person in front of me was. The one who was standing between me and Amanda.

It was another girl who stood at the same height as Amanda with grace and ease. With clear and fair skin, she had medium lengthened, light blond hair that almost appeared white. Light blue eyes looked between me and Amanda.

"Sophia" I said in surprise and Amanda said with disdain.

The aforementioned girl glanced at me and she gave me a quick smile, easing my body's tension. She then stood completely in front of me before staring down at Amanda.

"Amanda, that's enough" said Sophia, her tone light but tight.

"You don't get to tell me what to do" bit back Amanda, with tension and anger in her voice.

I couldn't see if Sophia raised her eyebrow but I imagined it with her tone.

"No, but you're creating a scene which wouldn't prove nicely to you Amanda."

"Why you-" Amanda glowered but she stopped mid-sentence when I peeked over Sophia.

Amanda looked at me, her mouth curled in a snarl, before glancing between Sophia and I. Then we realized the small amount of people around us, watching us what we do next. Amanda gave a tiny screech and pointed a finger at me.

"This is far from over" she declared before marching away. Camille and her other friend, Regina, glanced at us before falling after Amanda hurriedly.

I swore I saw an apologetic look on one of their faces.

Seeing the potential fight was over, people continued on.

Then I realized, I was in the school library.

I was surprised the librarian wasn't here but on the other hand, we would've gotten in trouble by then.

My body started to relax and I realized I didn't even know I was standing. Nor that I was sitting before. I groaned and rubbed my face, realizing I had done it again.

I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder and I looked at the person.

It was Alex.

I gave an attempt at a smile but it must've came out wrong because Alex's face scrunched up. His violet eyes darkened in worry and his lips were thinned out a lot.

"No?" I asked, giving a shaky chuckle.

"No" Alex affirmed.

Everything in me deflated and I felt guilty and disappointed.

"Sorry Alex" I apologized before turning to Sophia.

"Sorry Sophia."

I shuffled my feet and rubbed my arm nervously. The words came out slow but I managed to speak out properly.

"Sorry Sophia, for getting you involved with this" I said, bowing my head slightly as I scratched the side of my head in response.

Embarrassment and guilt started to build within me.

"Its fine" said Sophia with a soft voice.

This caused me to be surprised as I looked at her in such.

"Uh...what?"

Sophia gave me a small smile before she folded her hands together. "I'm glad that you're aware of your actions but however, Amanda....has made many attempts to antagonize you. Although this situation could've been handled better-"

I lowered my eyes and tried not to make eye contact.

"You're not the one at fault" said Sophia sharply.

I looked at her and she gave me a raised eyebrow. I knew that look.

It was her silent way of telling me to do better and be better than Amanda.

Which I found slightly odd and funny since Amanda and Sophia were cousins.

I stood back up straighter and let out a frustrated sigh. I ran a hand through my hair, before I spoke.

"I still shouldn't have, you know, played Amanda's game."

Sophia stared at me and gave me a smile, before she hugged me. I instantly felt a little bit better and returned the hug.

And then I felt a small sharp pain on my cheek.

I gave a sound but I didn't resist when Sophia pinched my cheek.

I should've expected that.

"Well if you will excuse me, I'll need to finish my work before lunch" said Sophia.

"Bye Sophia" I said, waving her goodbye.

Sophia turned to me and offered one last smile and a nod to Alex, who nodded back.

When she was several feet away, I turned to Alex and sat back down in my seat. Exhausted.

Alex sat down and we were silent, catching up on the brief moment of peace after what had just happened.

Alex had long raven hair, with violet eyes. His skin was pale with a thin body. He gripped his purple hoodie and dropped the hood, something he only did when he was with the people he was close to. Or at least when appropriate. Underneath, he usually wore dark clothing and his purple converse matched his hoodie.

"What happened, Kai?" asked Alex as he crossed his arms on the desk and looked at me questionably.

"What do you mean?" I asked back, confused.

"You're usually aware if Amanda is around and avoid her when possible," said Alex. His violet eyes reading out concerned. "But when I was in the book isles, I could see you were dazed in another world."

I remember to the dream that I thought of again. For some reason, over the course of years that I had that dream, I never really told Alex about it.

I pulled the lobe of my ear, sighing.

"I was lost in thought, that's all. You know I have those moments" I explained.

Alex's face changed and I could sense he was anxious.

"Do you mean you remember something...?" he quietly asked.

I saw Alex's eyes drop down in thought and his lips thinning. Nor did I miss him squeezing his arms a bit more.

There were a few things that Alex could be asking me. Was he asking if I remembered something back then? My missing memories that I lost during the lightning strike? Or more?

"No, nothing important" I replied, leaning into my chair while stuffing my hands into my pocket. The invitation crinkled loudly.

"Oh" said Alex, looking at me. He looked a bit more relieved.

"That's good" he whispered.

_'I rather not let her remember'_

I blinked and stared at Alex, completely unsurprised at the voice in my head. The voice that strangely sounded like Alex's own voice.

It was weird.

There were times that I swear I could hear Alex's voice in my head and there were awkward times that I thought he said it out loud.

Though overtime, I said less and less about it. Logically, it could be me overanalyzing things and using Alex's voice in my head whenever I thought he was thinking of something.

A pregnant silence and awkwardness took over between us.

When I was about to speak to break it, the bell rang.

We all jolted and immediately got up to pack our bags. Masses of students began to fill the hall and chattering filled the area.

It was time for lunch.

As we broke for lunch, I waved goodbye to Alex as he went to do something. Meeting up with Jayden and Hunter, while I went to hang out with my group of friends.

As I deposited my textbooks in my locker and went to grab my lunch I realized something.

The violet eyed boy in my dream was Alex.


	3. News travels fast

It was a sunny afternoon day at Sparrow's Creek High. The weather was warm and there were little clouds drifting through the sky, providing a bit of shade but didn't warn anyone of wet weather.

The temperature was slowly getting warmer and warmer as the days got closer to summer.

After I had grabbed my lunch and setting aside thoughts of my dream, I walked to the usual meeting spot of my friends.

Considering it was warm outside, we usually sat outside to enjoy the weather. Being in Canada, where the weather is usually at least 80% wet and cold, any warm bright weather was welcomed.

I was enjoying my lunch, already digging into my meal before the rest of my friends were coming over. One by one, we all assembled together under the shade of the tree besides us.

My chopsticks picked up a piece of meat and was about to enter my mouth until-

"So, what exactly happened between you and Amanda?"

I nearly dropped the meat and moved my lunchbox to catch the falling piece of meat.

My throat seized and I let out a series of cough, before it died down.

"W-what?" I asked, my throat still tight.

I looked at my friend, Azalea, who re-adjusted her black framed glasses.

_She had long black hair like me and people have on several accounts said we looked alike. The only difference was she was slightly shorter then I and she had dark, copper skin while I had pale, yellow skin. She wore a white blouse with faded jeans and black shoes._

"Oh yeah, we heard some people talking some argument you and Amanda were going at" said Stella absentmindedly, who stuffed a pickle back into her burger.

_Freckles dotted Stella's light skin, her brown eyes dancing with mischievousness. Long, brown hair draped over her face, framing it. She wore a tank top over her favorite black and white zipper sweater, her jeans slowly tearing apart with threads loose. Her grin giving a certain spunky aura._

I looked at the rest of my friends who were also interested.

I sighed and rubbed an itch by my forehead with the end of my chopsticks.

"Me and Amanda were always at odds with each other" I reminded them.

 _'Well, not in the past though...people change'_ I thought.

"Yeah we know that but it looked like you were going to fight her" said Jessica.

_Jessica had thick brown hair that were slightly curly at certain ends. Her light skin was adorned with a slight redness to it and her hazel eyes glimmered under the sunlight. Her expressions were always large and one could read her like an open book. She wore a fuchsia pink tee shirt that fit snugly against her toned body and the tee shirt seemed even brighter under her black shorts._

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't there as far as I know so how did you come to that conclusion?" I asked her, curiously and skeptically.

Jessica opened her mouth and realized something.

I could see the awkwardness in her face before Clara jumped in.

"News traveled fast and also...Camille kind of told us" she said.

I stared at her, absorbing the information.

_Clara had medium, dirty blond hair that was naturally paired with blond hair. Her hair tied into pig tails. She wore a green shirt and I could see a black tank top underneath with a neutral blue skirt. Underneath she wore well-worn black leggings that went to her mid-ankles. Her shoes were brown and were one of those nature shoes, which were also very well-worn._

Camille? A bit surprisingly but not too out of the ballpark. I remember Camille when we were kids. She often hung around Amanda, back when I and Amanda were on good terms. Camille and I weren't exactly close but we were more than acquaintances for sure.

Despite the spat Amanda and I had over the years, I could tolerate Camille a lot better.

"I see..." I responded, thinking over.

My friends looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to explain. I scarfed down the rest of my food (there wasn't a lot left anyways) and washed it down with tea.

I took out the invitation Amanda had given me (well Camille was the one who handed it to me) and the others took it, looking at it.

I ran my hand through my hair, adjusting my bandanna that was tied into a ribbon.

"Amanda invited me to a party but what she really wanted, I think, is Hunter to attend" I explained to them. "She tried to convince me that once I got Hunter to go to the party, she would introduce me to her friend group."

"Wait, why?" questioned Jessica, confused.

I gave an irritated sigh and held my head with my hands. "No idea, she has done this before on a few occasions but nothing so explicit."

I rubbed my face in irritation before continuing to speak.

"That's when I got mad. One thing happened another and I just...." I waved my hand, trying to struggle with the next few words.

But as I tried to, that same feeling from before tried to rise up and snap.

I did my best to calm myself down and just as it was about to peak over, I was distracted when I saw something in my peripheral vision.

I looked and saw a group of people walking over. Immediately my eyes fell upon Amanda who looked less then pleased, Camille falling slightly behind her, a few others that I somewhat recognized and at the front,

There was Jason.

_Jason had short, windswept blond hair. His skin was fair and his muscles were well-toned despite our similar ages. His smile was bright and perfect, in some ways. He walked with a certain swagger, seemingly confident. His blues eyes seemed dark, even though the light was bright._

I tensed slightly and gripped my stomach in unease. A small weight settling in my gut as my hair rose slightly.

Jason and I made eye contact and he gave a smooth smile, raising his hand in greeting. I raised one back, albeit reluctantly.

Off to the side, I could see Jessica and a few others seem to react to Jason's smile.

My lips felt dry and I took a sip of my tea to cover the unease on my face.

"Hi Kai" greeted Jason as he stood in front of me. I remained seated on the ground but I gave face, wiggling my fingers as a hello.

"Hi Jason, what brings you here?" I asked as calmly as I could.

I could feel my throat shaking and the unease grew. I quickly looked at the group behind Jason to distract myself.

Amanda was giving me silent glares, her lips twitching as if she was hold back her displeasure. Camille was giving me a look like she was slightly defeated. Her others friends were behind her as well, talking to each other quietly. Accompanying them was also Victor, Amanda's current boyfriend. He gave me a tilted look and was looking between me, Amanda, and glowering slightly at Jason. Victor's friend was also accompanying with him but he seemed less than interested.

"Oh, I came here to give back your pen" said Jason before taking out said pen.

I remembered back in a class, Jason's pen had dried out and I offered him a pen for him to use. It wasn't a pen that I was particularly felt attached to but it was still a good pen. Perhaps that's why I didn't remember even offering Jason the pen and wondered if he would give it back.

How long ago was it to begin with?

"Ah," I smiled before Jason extended his hand forward, pen in hand.

"Was wondering when you were going to give it back" I responded before taking the pen. My fingers avoiding Jason's hand and I took the pen between two of my fingers.

I saw Jason's eyes seemed to be slightly darker and the space between them shrink, but it was only for a moment.

"I apologize for holding it hostage for so long" Jason joked, or so I hoped he was.

His choice of words seemed to be a weird but I remained smiling.

"Oh my, should I be angry at that?" I teased back.

We each responded with a small laughter but it was forced.

Something about Jason felt very off.

When I first met Jason in the beginning of this year, he seemed a very likable guy. He was good at his classes and was smart. He had a lovable personality that seemed to attract people to him and he seemed to have a way with his words. He wasn't bad at sports and was clearly not lacking in the looks department.

Everything about him seemed great. For a couple of 13 and 14 year olds, it was pretty impressive.

Except when I looked at him, occasionally, I would see something on his face that seemed different.

Then I slowly realized, he never really talked about himself. Not his experiences or anything. They were all told in roundabout ways that were neither one thing nor another.

And the ones that might've been a look into his life? They seemed stale. Static. Like they were crafted.

Jason had been trying to create a conversation between me and him but I responded back with half-honest answers. He then had moved the conversation to include my friends and Amanda's group as well, talking about schoolwork before casually moving into their plans and life.

Amanda, who had been increasingly getting herself closer to Jason, put on her "likeable" front. Agreeing and being open with her talk. Occasionally, Amanda would glance at me and her face would change for a moment before being bright.

Victor looked uncomfortable as Amanda was talking adamantly with Jason.

I felt bad for Victor since he was clearly in love with Amanda and he was actually a great guy. But when Jason came into the picture, Amanda was more interested in Jason nowadays even though Amanda continued to date Victor.

The uneasiness grew within me and seemed to morph into something worse.

Apparently something seemed off to Jason because he turned his full attention to me.

At that moment, from where he stood, despite the sun shining directly onto us...the sun shining brightly behind Jason's head like a halo-

I saw darkness in Jason's eyes and a dark grin on his face. The shadow overhanging his eyes seemed to be dark like the void, making his blue eyes sinister.

A cold chill spread through my spine, shaking me and freezing me to the bone.

A deep ringing rang in my ears, drowning everything.

I saw Jason reach out to me and I couldn't move for some reason. I just watched his fingertips get closer and closer and when they were close to me,

_"KAI."_

My head turned to the familiar, loud voice and saw a group of three making their way towards us.

_A boy, who was the same age as me, was stalking his way over to me. His platinum spiky blonde hair shined like pure silver in the light. His gray eyes matched his hair and his fair skin. He was no longer thin like he was as a child and his form a result from his endless running and adventuring._

"Hunter?" I called out instinctively, confused at his expression.

Hunter didn't look at my directly and was focused on Jason; who seemed a bit off-put by Hunter's glowering expression.

"What the hell are you doing?" growled out Hunter who forced himself between me and Jason. My brown eyes flickered from up to Jason and Hunter and to Hunter's gripping fists. They shook slightly from anger.

Jayden placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder, his hand gripping the other's leather jacket. A sign that he was both reminding and holding back Hunter, in case his temper got the better of him.

_Jayden had dark, bronze skin with silky black hair. What stood out from his appearance was instead of many East Indian genetics, Jayden had green eyes that reminded me of a cross between a Jade and Emerald gem. They sparkled with life that changed from a smooth jade to a bright emerald. He was thin but his posture was composed, reflecting his personality._

Jayden's eyes flickered to me and he gave me a smile, before his eyes hardened to look between Hunter and Jason.

"Enough" reminded Jayden to Hunter.

Hunter glowered for a moment before his stiff posture loosened slightly. "What do you want with Kai?" struggled Hunter, his voice shaking with tension.

Jason seemed to narrow his eyes before his face switched to his usual light temperament.

"Now, now- don't be so brash Hunter." Jason reassured, to which Hunter made a sound of disgust, "I was merely checking on Kaitlyn, who seemed a bit unwell. No harm done in checking on a friend."

"She isn't your friend, she's ours" retorted Hunter.

"Hunter..." warned Jayden.

I felt awkward being put on the spot but I didn't deny the feeling of being relieved. Something felt off about Jason and I didn't have the evidence or anything to proof my gut feeling, so I was thankful for Hunter and Jayden being there and standing between me and Jason. I could handle an angry Hunter then what was going on with Jason.

I saw someone kneel beside me and I looked to see Alex. He looked at me in concern and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked me, whispering.

His violet eyes flickering between me and Jason. His face changing at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I reassured Alex with a shaky smile, placing a hand on top of Alex.

He gave me a relieved smile but his face became hardened when he looked up.

Jayden moved slightly in front of Hunter, not completely blocking him off but as a warning. He gave his best, polite smile and spoke.

"Thanks for telling us Jason," spoke Jayden, "we'll keep an eye out on Kai."

Jason seemed to hesitate for a split second before he gave a good natured smile.

"You're welcome" he said before he turned to me (through the mass of bodies of Jayden and Hunter). "Be sure to take care of yourself Kai, I'll see you later."

For some reason, I could hear an unspoken message from those words.

' _There's still something I need to do'_

Jason left, followed by Amanda and her friends.

Amanda gave me a heated glare at me before she huffed angrily and followed after Jason. I stuck out my tongue at the group's retreating backs.

When Jason's group had left, Hunter turned around and looked at me angrily.

"What were you thinking?" he demanded.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "What?"

"You just let him get close to you like that? You know there's something odd about him!"

I got up and stood on my two feet, to stare Hunter down.

"I don't have any proof and it's not like he has done anything wrong yet" I argued back.

" _Yet"_ emphasized Hunter as he ran his hand through his hair angrily.

"Hunter, enough" chided Jayden to his best friend, "You're not making a good impression on Kai's friends."

Hunter remembered that my group of friends were here as well. I could see from my peripheral vision that my friends were just looking between me and Hunter like deer in the highlights.

Hunter ran his hand through his hair furiously, his teeth clenched together. He let out an angry sigh before he took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'll...see you later" Hunter mumbled before he turned around.

Jayden sighed and had his hands on his hips. He shook his head before he looked at me and my group of friends.

"Sorry about Hunter, he's a good person but his temper gets the best of him. Don't hate him please" said Jayden to my friends, a tired smile on his face.

"It's alright...." Said Clara before Jayden nodded.

He turned to me and gave me a half-hearted smirk.

"I'll see you later Kai. I'll talk to Hunter and hopefully he'll be in a better mood."

I nodded and gave back a smile, my hands on my small hips as well.

"No problem, don't forget I can help put some sense into Hunter as well!"

Jayden chuckled before he turned to leave.

"I have no doubts about it" he said before jogging to catch up after Hunter.

Alex got up and dusted the dirt from his worn, black jeans. "I'll help talk to Hunter," he said before he re-adjusted his purple hoodie.

I nodded and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Alright, see you later Alex" I grinned at him.

Alex gave a small smile before he gave a polite nod to my friends. I watched Alex leave and chase after Jayden and Hunter.

There was a small awkward silence and I felt all the tension leave me. I gave a sigh and rubbed my face several times, trying to ease out more of the tension.

That was weird and was totally not fun.

I turned to my friends and I knew there was going to be questions. I sat back down on the ground before my friends launch their questions.

"Well what the hell was that about?" questioned Stella, her face in confusion as well skepticism.

One after another, my friends asked their questions from what went on with Amanda, Jason, and Hunter-

I tried to answer them honestly and to the best of my abilities but I kept trailing off. I didn't know what was wrong with Jason, who seemed like a pretty great guy. But there were times that seemed unnatural about him that broke that nice guy image, making my gut feel heavier and heavier.

Then there was Hunter's reactions.

Hunter was always a bit brash and hard around the edges, even as a kid. Once you got past his initial personality, he was actually a great guy. He did care about his friends but that often resulted him being defensive and physically; a trait we somewhat share.

However, there was something odd about Hunter.

While it was true that he was always hard around the edges but lately; especially when he came back from his two years in London, something changed about him. He told me it was fine and it was probably a result of being around his extended family and the pressures they put on him-

Hunter seemed to withhold something from me. A weight that he refused to let me help with.

I didn't have much longer to dwell in my thoughts.

The bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. My friends and I got up to go back into the stuffiness of the school, before we split apart. Some of us went to our separate classes and some of us gathered to the same class.

I was with the latter group as me and my friends quickly made our way to the Girl's changing room for our Physical Education class.

When we were changing, I thought on what had happened and tried to answer the questions in my head. 


	4. Boys and Girls

After we finished changing, we began to make our way up to the gym floor. I had tied my long black hair into a pony tail, altering my bandana from its simple knot form to a biker style. I adjusted my sports jacket and pulled at my grey leggings that was under my t-shirt.

I was usually one of the fastest to change and be in the gym, with a few others.

I looked around as we waited for our P.E. teacher to come by. My friends that were with me in class was Azalea, Kalonice, Stella, and Clara, as they were making their way from the changing room.

I decided to sit down on the bleachers to give my stomach some time to digest my lunch. I never knew why we had P.E. class right after lunch. I thought you weren't supposed to do any exercise until after two hours after you ate.

I stretched out my legs and played with my foot, unable to keep them still.

When more of my classmates enter the gym, I waved to my friends who saw me. They began to make their way and as they did, my face soured when I saw Amanda.

She saw me and gave her own disgust before she dramatically turned her head away from me.

I swore I could hear the "Humph!" from all the way here. She immediately began to talk to her friends, chatting animatedly and laughed about something.

I didn't bother to pay attention nor listen on the conversation. It didn't matter to me anyways.

Azalea took her spot next to me as did Stella, squishing me between them. Clara and Kalonice stood in front of us.

"So...Kaitlyn," asked Kalonice, "I heard some stuff happened?"

I craned my head back to look up at Kalonice, who was much taller than the rest of us.

_Other than her tall stature, Kalonice's most notable feature was her curly, auburn hair. Her bluish-green eyes was also a notable feature that reminded me of crystal clear lake. Her fair skin complimented her hair and eyes._

I groaned and covered my face, the incident from earlier crashing down on me.

"Right, you weren't there at lunch" I remembered.

Kalonice shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I had to talk and do some work for Language Arts. I ate lunch there with a few other students."

I sighed and rubbed my face with one hand. It looked like I had to explain things all over again.

I explained starting with me accidentally falling asleep in the library, Amanda confronting me when I was still groggy that may have contributed to the situation, then her offer-

Then I also explained what had happened during lunch with Jason and my childhood friends; Hunter, Jayden, and Alex.

After I explained everything, Kalonice pondered. I could see her brain working it through before she responded.

"Well that was weird" she commented.

I sighed and nodded.

The girls and I quickly changed topics as we began to talk until class started. They were still interested in what happened and I was thrown back into the conversation.

"So...what's with you and Hunter?"

"Huh?" I dumbfoundedly said.

"I mean, Hunter seems pretty protective of you" pointed out Clara.

I scratched the back of my head before letting out a breath, "He is but he and I are just friends."

I saw the girls' faces give _that_ look and I groaned. " _I mean it"_ I huffed, while also rolling my eyes.

"Sure, like you and Jayden are 'just friends'" teased Stella, while air-quoting

"Also friends. Same with Hunter, and Alex. They're my childhood friends, if we had some kind of romantic feelings for each other, you wouldn't think I would know by now?"

"Uh huh" the others said at the same time.

"Oh come on! Give me some credit at least!"

"Then...what about Alex?" asked Azalea.

I froze and nearly choked on my own spit. "Absolutely not!"

"And why not?" she pressed on.

"Cause one, he's one of my best friends since we were kids! And second of all, he's definitely is not, nor will he ever be interested in me" I defensively said.

"How can you be sure?" asked Jessica.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm sure because he told me."

_"Ooooh~"_

"Quit it" I said exasperated before I crossed my legs in a criss-cross and held my chin on my palm. My elbow resting on my leg. "Besides, he's not interested in _what_ I am nor anyone similar."

Before the others could press on for me details, we heard a whistle blow. I felt instantly relieved as we all turned to the sound and we saw Mrs. Jensen, clip board in hand.

"Alright girls! Gather around!" she yelled throughout the gym.

We all made our way to her and stood around in a circle of mass. Mrs. Jensen made a quick headcount to see who was here and who wasn't. After quickly jotting down those who weren't here on her clipboard, she looked at us.

"The year is ending and since it's pretty hot right now, we're going to have a co-class with the boy's class-"

She was briefly interrupted by the muttering between us before Mrs. Jensen continued-

"The gym is way too small for our group and it's not ideal for the boys to be running out in the field, just in case they get a heat stroke."

I shifted my legs and stuck my hands on my hips. I briefly tried to remember who was in the boy's class. I know Hunter, Jayden, and Alex were in the other class (conveniently enough).

"So Mr. Jensen and I-"

Mr. Jensen being Mrs. Jensen's husband.

"- decided we would have an easy day today. We'll all make our way to the forest park nearby and be under the trees' shade."

At that moment, the door opened and like that, a mass of male students started to fill in. We all looked and saw Mr. Jensen leading the group.

I immediately sought-after Hunter, Jayden, and Alex which I found quickly. I waved and grinned at them and Jayden smiled, waving in response.

Alex flashed a smile in greeting to me and Hunter, well, he simply looked over and tilted his head.

I was at the front more or less but I could hear some of my classmates clamoring over some of the boys.

Particularly one of them being Hunter.

Although I agreed that Hunter was very dashing, it felt weird to hear people gush over him; since I practically grew up with him. I tried not to let the disgust appear on my face too much.

Then the whispering and excitement got louder when Jason was in view. Some of the girls particularly were waving to him and calling him out (particularly Amanda).

Unfortunately, and fortunately, Victor wasn't in our class.

Mrs. Jensen didn't pay attention to the girl's excitement as she had already was making her way to Mr. Jensen. I moved forwards to follow and so did my friends.

Once we were all gathered together, our respective teachers began to count how many of us there were.

We were more or less made up of an equal team before we were given either Red or Blue mesh vests to tell which one of us were on which team.

I took the Red vest and slipped it over my head and my arms through the holes. I pulled on it so it was all straightened out. I looked around to see who was on my team and who wasn't.

Stella, Azalea and Clara in the blue team, along with Jayden and Alex.

I openly pouted and dramatically reached out for them crying "Nooooo" to which Stella and the others equally responded back with.

I could feel glaring eyes upon me and I sighed, familiar with the feeling.

I turned slowly and from my peripheral vision, saw Amanda wearing a Blue Vest, glaring daggers at me.

I raised an eyebrow wondering what was her problem this time?

Then I felt an arm around my shoulder and a small weight. The smell hit me first and I recognized it.

It was always a hint of earl grey tea with the smell of lavender combined with normal musk. I looked and grinned, throwing an arm around Hunter's shoulders as well.

"We're on the same team! Huzzah!" I cheered, snickering.

Hunter chuckled before he spoke.

"Can't leave you by yourself, can I?" spoke Hunter, a bit of his British accent seeping through.

I snorted and patted his shoulder, before dramatically a hand on my chest.

"My, my Hunter, my friend-" I said, giving him a dubious look. "-Do you not trust me?"

Hunter released my shoulder and gave a pondering gesture.

"Hmmmm, I dunno," Hunter wondered, "how do I know you're not going to trip and sprain your ankle?" A smirk appeared on his face.

A running joke between us was that I always got injured somehow. I still carried a few bandages with me just in case I split the skin.

"Hey, hey, you may never know? I'll reach a new record!" I argued, playfully folding my arms together and stuffing my hands under my armpits.

Hunter grinned at me before his face instantly soured. I felt an arm around my shoulder and I tensed.

I usually had a strong sense of smell but for some reason, this guy almost smelt like nothing.

"Hey, it looks like we're the same team."

I looked, and my face switched to my normal, polite persona.

"So it seems" I replied to Jason.

Jason looked down at me and Hunter was giving Jason a look.

' _Ah-'_ I thought.

Now I know why Amanda was glaring daggers at me.

Greeeaaatttt....


	5. Red VS Blue

After choosing who would be on the Red and Blue team, we began to make our way to the forest. It wasn't a huge one and if you walked to the edge of the forest, you would find several homes surrounding it.

Coming into contact with patches of forests and thus parks were very common here in Canada.

The closest forest near Sparrow's Creek High was relatively large. Lots of places to run, while being mindful of the protruding tree roots, different levels and there was a small creek that went through the entire forest. If you somehow had gotten lost (although unlikely), you would just need to follow the creek and find the small wooden bridge.

The bridge was there so it would be easier go across the creek and avoid the rushing water, which was dangerous around autumn and winter, due to melting snow and heavy rainfall (a common occurrence here).

Though, unlikely you would be in serious risk, the creek would sweep you off and send you down to the deep crevice; created from time and erosion from the water digging bit by bit of dirt. 

Because of the water levels were slow, it wasn't likely you would be swept off.

I remember my teachers teaching us if we did fall into the deep crevice (well deep for Elementary school kids), you could follow to the end and get to the hill or yell for help. Considering now though we were old enough and tall enough, we could technically climb out if you were able to walk. It wasn't suggested if the weather was wet and cold however.

As we got to the entrance of the forest, you could see the small memorial there and beyond that the shade of the forest. It was relatively dark and that meant it would be cooler then standing out in bright light.

I smiled and took in a deep breath.

The sound of the creek bubbling and washing over each other brushed in my ear. The smell of dirt, sunshine, trees, and clean air filled my nostril and my lungs.

"Alright kids!" yelled out Mr. Jensen and the chatter between us died down, "We're going to play Cops and Robbers! We've played this before but just in case, one team will be the Cops and the other will be Robbers. The cops will chase and capture the robbers; who are going to try to rob the flag-"

Mrs. Jensen grinned and took out a flag, before she spread it open for us to see.

We laughed and cheered as we saw our red and white maple Canadian flag.

"-Hey Mr. Jensen, wouldn't it be better if the cops were Mounties instead?!" yelled out one of my classmates.

I recognized it as Sara from my PE class.

We all cheered at that agreement and Mr. Jensen and Mrs. Jensen looked at each other with (fake) exasperated looks.

"Fine, we'll be playing _Mounties_ and Robbers" sighed dramatically Mrs. Jensen.

We cheered and hollered.

"Now, now-" yelled Mr. Jensen; gathering our attention again. "The game ends when either all the Robbers are captured and brought to the checkpoint, or the Robbers successfully bring back the captured flag."

"Remember, the Mounties have to tag and escort the Robbers, but fellow Robbers can save each other by either tagging the Mountie or tagging their captured Robber. Either which, the Mountie has to stay still for 30 seconds before they are allowed to give chase and chase after However, if the Mountie manages to tag the second Robber, they're also captured." explained Mrs. Jensen.

From it was all reminders. Robbers could tag Mounties and basically freeze them, only allowing to be set free by fellow Mounties. We weren't allowed to push each other or do anything unnecessary (i.e. tripping others or tackling them) and nothing harsh. The Mounties weren't allowed to hide the flag and it had to be in plain sight. It was also not allowed to have the flag be tied up on a high branch either.

It seemed like common sense, so previous teachers didn't say it. This led a few times where kids managed to climb up the tall pine trees and tied the flag to a branch, making it impossible to get it. One kid got themselves stuck that way and we had to call the Fire Department to come.

It took an entire day to get that kid out of the tree.

And the flag was nowhere to be found after that.

It was a loophole that had gone wrong.

As we made the pledge to follow the rules, our respective teachers began to decide one team member from each team to flip a coin.

This way we decided which team would be the Mounties and the Robbers.

From the Red Team, it was Jason to be our representative.

From the Blue Team, it was Alex.

I didn't know why but something felt off a bit.

"Okay, Heads or Tails? Whatever one the side appears up first becomes the Mounties" asked Mrs. Jensen.

"Tails" called out Jason.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. People always went for Heads first. So why Tails?

"Alright, I guess Heads for the Blue team" nodding Mrs. Jensen.

Mr. Jensen took out a coin and he flipped it off with a "TING!"

And then...at that moment. Time seemed slow down. I could literally see the coin turning and flipping. I looked and saw Alex's violet eyes widening and we made eye contact. I didn't linger long before I looked and I swore I saw a grin appearing on Jason's face.

Everything felt cold despite the summer heat and then-

There was a SMACK! And we looked to see Mr. Jensen catching the coin with his palm over the coin.

Everything seemed to go back to normal and I almost slumped over. Hunter's arm immediately dashed out to hold me up and he looked at me in slight concern. I gave him a thumbs up and patted his shoulder as a way of saying I was okay.

My legs felt slightly weak, shaking as I tried to stand up straight. I stuffed my hands into my jacket, hiding my curling, nail piercing fist.

Mr. Jensen removed his hand and announced the coin flip.

"HEADS!"

The Blue team cheered as the Red team sighed but shrugged. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding.

It was probably my wild imagination after all.

"Alright, let's go and play!"

We cheered and followed after our teachers. Mr. Jensen followed the Blue Team to make sure they tied the flag somewhere reachable.

We the Red team, the Robbers, gathered around and waited. I waved to our friends on the Blue team and we began to strategize.

Jason was taking lead and he selected a few of us to be the "scouts" to find the flag. The fastest people were chosen to grab the flag and some of us were the "dummies" to distract the Mounties while they grabbed the flag. The rest of us were to stop any Mounties or lead them away.

Hunter didn't seem too keen on following Jason's plan but alas, majority wins.

Mr. Jensen came back and he nodded before Mrs. Jensen readied her whistle.

She nodded and blew the whistle.

The sharp REET! Of the whistle ran through the entire forest, cutting through.

"Alright break!" yelled Jason as we charged. We immediately separated into groups. The scouts were already running to find the flag and the retrievers followed close behind.

"See you later!" I cheered to Hunter, holding up a hand up.

Hunter grinned and high-fived me, "See you with the flag" he said before running. Hunter was chosen to be a retriever since he could run and he was super agile. Plus he had the stamina to outrun any Mounties.

I was part of the distracting team and I was running. Jason was with me as another group to retrieve the flag and yelled to any Mounties.

They took the bait and ran after me and I booked for it.

I wasn't fast nor did I have good stamina.

I just kept bobbing and weaving between trees, using my small stature to slip through thin spaces.

I jumped over several tree roots, avoiding tripping.

I lost the small group of three Mounties behind me as I slammed my hand against a truck, before sweeping around the log. A Mountie that was behind me caught himself before accidentally losing his footing.

I stopped to make sure he was alright.

He groaned and got up, shaking out the twigs and leaves in his hair before I decided he was fine. I booked for it and kept repeating in my head.

I tried to will my little legs to run faster and ducked out of the way, diving for the shrubbery. I sat down on the dirt and slid myself lower, to minimize the chance of someone catching me. I could hear yelling and the sound of feet hitting the ground fade away.

I let out a sigh of relief and caught up on my breathing. My heart was hammering against my chest and my lungs were burning.

It felt good to run but I couldn't do it for too long.

I tried to control my breathing and looked up. Through the canopy of the trees, I watched their branches and leaves brush against each other from the blow of the wind. They created scratches and rustles, easing my mind.

The vibrant, blue sky filled the spaces of the trees while sunlight peeked through.

I felt calmer and my mind wandered for a moment.

 _'What kind of blue is the sky today?'_ I thought to myself. It wasn't _sky_ blue since the tint wasn't exactly right and the colour of the sky was a lot deeper.

Birds chirped through and my mind recognized some of them. Robins, Sparrows, Chick-a-dee-

I heard a sudden rustle of a bush and I got up immediately. My heart picked up again and it roared slightly. I tried to calm down and listened to the sound.

I could hear slight thumping and I got up, reading to book for it.

I saw a flash of dark auburn hair. I recognized the head shape and I cursed to myself.

Of course it would be Amanda. I booked immediately and barely missed Amanda lugging at me.

I ran but I was trying to be careful of the roots. I was going downhill and that meant gravity was pushing me down.

I could hear Amanda's feet behind me and I turned around to slip through the trees' trunk. From my peripheral vision, Amanda was still there and I kept on running.

I was slowing down and my legs were aching.

"Got you now Kai!" declared Amanda and then-

I fell over.

I screamed and yelled as I was tumbling down. Instinctively I placed my hands to cover my head and face, my body rolling down a large hill. I got a mouthful of dirt and spat it out when I felt the earth on my back.

I closed my mouth fully and tried to keep it shut.

I also tried to get up but a sharp pain went through my leg. I hissed and eventually I stopped moving. The trickling of water was right by my ear and I took several deep breaths. My stomach felt sick and discontent, my lunch did not settle well either.

My head spun like I was tossed in a blender and my ears were ringing. I opened my eyes and the brightness of the day stung.

I closed it immediately, watching spots go through the darkness behind my eyelids.

I struggled to get my breathing under control (and thus my stomach).

I could hear muffling to the side. I didn't pay attention to it until the muffling became words.

"-Ai....Kai....KAI!"

I snapped my eyes open and turn my head towards the sound.

I saw Hunter and Jason a few ways from me and above.

And in Hunter's hand, was the flag.

Ah....I was in the crevice. I turned to the other side and saw the creek right beside me. I moved my head back to Hunter and Jason.

I struggled to get up but my back screamed in pain.

I think I may have landed on a rock. By the size and feeling, it wasn't huge but it was blunt and was poking my back.

"I'm fine!" I yelled, "I'm alive!" I yelled again.

Ever slowly, I turned to my side. My back faced the creek and used my other arm to hold myself up.

I couldn't hear Hunter say what and then I saw Jayden coming from behind him. He was breathless and his green eyes changed from confusion to shock.

"KAI!" yelled Jayden as he tried to go down.

"Don't!" I yelled, groaning as I tried to lift myself up. "It's unstable, if you go down we can't climb out!"

Jayden stopped and seemed conflicted.

Hunter cursed and was stomping his feet. He shoved the flag to Jason before he slid down over the edge.

My eyebrow twitch. What the heck did I just say Hunter?

Irritation filled me but I sighed, letting it go.

As Hunter was sliding down, Jason gave the flag to Jayden before he slid down.

I faintly heard Jayden say he would get the teachers before running off, flag in hand. Hunter was the first to get to me, running towards me and kneeled before me.

I felt Hunter's hands touch my head, searching for open wounds. I may have broke some skin but hardly anything serious.

"Oh my god, Kai" said Hunter, brushing the hair away from my face and behind my hair.

I placed a hand on Hunter's hand, patting it slightly.

"Hey, hey I'm fine. You're over exaggerating" I chuckled at an attempt to ease the seriousness and tried to make Hunter better.

I didn't like the worrying and sad look Hunter had on his face.

Hunter went to lift me up but Jason stopped him.

"Careful, she might have a concussion" warned Jason.

"I may have sprained a leg" I said, raising a finger.

"Kai, shut up please" said Hunter.

I promptly shut up but rolled my eyes.

I hissed at the pain when I did and I placed a hand on my head; massaging it to ease the pain.

Hunter and Jason carefully got me up slowly but surely before I was sitting on my butt. Hunter used himself as a pillar, resting my back against him. I carefully slid my legs forward, grimacing at the slight pain.

"How does it feel?" asked Jason, checking if my legs weren't supposed to be what they should look like.

"It just hurts. The throbbing kind" I said, numbly.

I felt tired. I just wanted to sleep it off.

"Nothing broken, then" said Jason before nodding.

He grabbed the shoe of my right leg, before he pulled it off. I tried to inch my feet away, not wanting him to smell my feet.

He just lightly grabbed it pulled it back towards me.

Tentatively pulling the sock away, not out of disgust, but because if he pulled it off too harshly, the sock would pull my feet. We watched him slowly roll sock and inserted it into my shoe.

"Looks swollen but it should be fine once we compress it and ice it" noted Jason.

He look up at me and his blue eyes came into contact with my brown eyes. Holding out his hand, Jason spoke.

"Give me your bandana, we'll use it in the meantime" he said.

I reached up to grab my red bandanna, pulling it off my head. My neck strained a bit and Hunter helped take it off. I then handed the bandanna to Jason.

Grabbing the piece of cloth, he untied the knot before setting my leg down. He went to the creek and soaked it thoroughly. Wringing out the excess water, he moved to tie my foot.

The wet bandanna was cold and I didn't know if the creek was really that cold? Or was it because the burning, throbbing pain was being quenched.

After setting my foot right, he looked at me and gave me a smile. I tried not to pay attention to the shift of the mood in Hunter.

"Now how do we get out?" wondered Jason.

"There's a way out but you have to go to the end of the creek. There's a fence that stops anyone from going over the creek or the cliff" I said.

"Great, how about I help you carry you out?" asked Jason.

Hunter got up and kneeled down, his back towards me. A nostalgic memory popped in my mind and I instinctively reached out. Jason seemed to get the idea and helped me get onto Hunter's back.

I felt Hunter secure his arms underneath me and I moved my arms over his shoulder. Jason handed me my shoe and sock back.

"We've been here before so it's better if I carry her out. Wouldn't want someone to drop a person with a sprained ankle if they tripped over a tree root?" tested Hunter teasingly.

I saw Jason's eyes narrow in contempt but they returned back to his "usual" self.

"That's true. Well I'll go on ahead and find the teachers" said Jason before he turned.

We began to follow the flow of the creek and Jason was already a few ways from us.

Once we knew Jason was out of earshot length, I spoke.

"I remember you used to give me a lot of piggyback rides" I said.

I could feel the vibrations when Hunter spoke.

"Did I?"

I nodded, "Back when we were kids. I was slow and I kept tripping. I got tired easily and you guys would piggyback carry me." By guys, I meant along with Hunter, so did Jayden and Alex.

"I guess I remember that happening a lot" chuckled Hunter.

I gave a lopsided grin before I remembered something. It hit me in the mood but it was something that had to be asked.

"Hey Hunter..."

"Hmm?"

"What happened when you left for Britain?"

Hunter stopped for a moment and I felt his hold slipped. I gripped his shoulder to prevent myself from slipping before he tightened his hold.

He began to walk once again and a heavy atmosphere took over.

I waited for Hunter to reply but he never did.

We were quickly out of the crevice and Hunter easily carried me and himself up the small hill. The teachers were already there with Jason ahead. Jayden and Alex ran past them and my friends were a few ways behind.

The rest of our class followed suit.

I grinned and waved as best as I could. Hunter chastised at me that if I moved too much, he would accidentally drop me.

I looked at him and grinned, causing Hunter to pale.

"Kai, don't you dare-"  
I began to flail myself causing Hunter to lose balance. Not that he would nor drop me.

Jayden had his hands on his hips, chuckling at our antics. Alex just rushed over and was checking my foot.

I grinned at him and he gave me a small smirk before my friends came towards me. They asked questions if I was alright and what had happened, which I told the latter in a half truth, half-lie.

I told them when Amanda was behind me, I was running and fell off the edge; thus falling into the crevice.

I didn't tell them Amanda had pushed me though. I had no evidence that she did and was it accidental? Intentional? And even if it was the latter, what could I do? It wasn't like it would stop Amanda either.

Unless real consequences were to happen, Amanda did as she did.

Besides, I wasn't in a state to take Amanda on anyways.

The class was almost over and we were told to go. Hunter proceeded to carry me and Jayden kept a hand on my back; just in case if I fell.

Alex walked on my other side, right by my ankle. My friends chatted with me and I told them I would need to go to the Nurse's office. My friends agreed and told me that they would get my bag and clothes from the gym locker.

When we reached the school, Hunter immediately took me to the Nurse's office. Jayden went ahead to tell the Nurse and she was there when we approached said room.

I was taken to the small bed that was made out of leather and had a wax paper roll at the end. She slid the paper over the leather bed and placed a pillow under my head. She checked my leg and I gave a thumbs up to Alex, Jayden, and Hunter.

Hunter, Jayden, and Alex went to return the meshed vests and mines and change. They would later come by.

"Well it doesn't look too bad but I suggest keeping it rested, iced, compressed, and elevated" said Nurse Joyce.

"Thank you Miss Joyce" I said as I twiddled my thumbs.

"No problem sweetie" she said before she got up. "Now you rest now-"

I saluted to her and watched her leave.

I dropped my head back onto the pillow and let out a sigh. Well that was not fun. Today was going fine and dandy but once afternoon peeked around, it just kept crashing down. First with Amanda, then there was Jason and Hunter, then what had happened earlier....

I placed my arm over my eyes and tried to relax.

"This sucks-" I complained out loud, before allowing myself to rest.

I told myself a story in my mind, playing it out. I almost tethered to the edge, about to dream the story I told myself until I heard someone walking over.

With my arm over my eyes, I could see who it was without showing I could.

I had expected it to be Amanda and if she was going to try something again.

But then I saw the familiar purple hoodie.

I relaxed and knew it was Alex. I thought he had my stuff but he came empty handed. He was dressed in his casual clothes and back-pack over his shoulder. He looked closer at me but didn't realize I was awake. He looked side to side and seemed awfully dodgy.

Curiosity filled me and then I saw Alex kneel down. He raised a hand over my sprained ankle and then I saw it.

I widened my eyes but made no sound.

The pain in my leg was no longer throbbing in pain and felt almost better.

I looked at Alex, my arm still over my eyes, and saw a soft blue light glowing onto his face. His violet looks seem lighter and changed accordingly to the colour. The source of the light?

It was coming from Alex's hand.

It glowed with a soft, gentle light and he hovered it over my leg.

My sprained ankle was no longer sprained but the pain was still there slightly.   
Was it because of Alex?

What was he doing? How was he doing it? And...when has he had been able to?

I remained acting when the glow died from Alex's hand and he stood up. He seemed slightly tired but also relieved. He looked at me for a moment before he turned to leave.

I used this moment "wake" up.

I made a disgruntled moaning sound as if I was being woken up from a very nice dream or I was being pestered to wake up even though it was a weekend.

Alex stiffened and I removed my arm over my eyes.

I instantly regretting the action of not removing the arm earlier because of the rushing blood. I hissed and bleary looked at Alex.

I had a loopy smile on my face and rubbed my hand over my eyes; as if I was removing the tiredness out of it.

"Hey Alex" I greeted as if I didn't notice what had happened earlier.

Alex seemed like a deer in the headlights for a split second but he gave a tired smile.

"Hey Kai." 


	6. Just like Old Times, or is it?

My friends came back with my bags and my other clothes. I got up to stand and put on my backpack but when I did, I nearly fell over to the side.

My hand dashed out and flailed before Stella and Azalea grabbed my hands. They helped steady me and I re-attempted to stand.

It took a few tries before I was able to hobble my way out of the nurse's office. Azalea's and Clara's hands hovered by my body, ready to catch me if I toppled over.

Alex carried my sports bag, which would've contained my P.E. clothes and running shoes but were replaced with my casual clothes and converse shoes.

I made it half-way to the foyer before Hunter and Jayden appeared.

"What the heck are you doing?" questioned Hunter.

Stella shot him a look and opened her mouth to retort (and launch into another bicker) but I interjected.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting to the car" I said, scoffing and pointing to the entrance door. Outside, I knew my parent's van was right outside (ready to pick us up).

"On a sprained ankle? No."

"What else did you expect me to do? Clara and Azalea can't piggyback carry me. Alex and Stella have bags they have to carry so getting them to carry mines wouldn't work. Kalonice isn't here either. Plus, I'm not getting my friends to carry my heavy bags" I said, staring at Hunter with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean I could-" said Stella.

"Nope" I interrupted with a 'pop'.

Hunter sighed and rolled his eyes before he looked to Jayden.

Jayden merely gave his best friend a pat to his shoulder before walking over to me.

"Let Hunter carry your bag. I'll carry you over."

"But-"

"Hunter already did most of his homework, so his bag isn't as heavy" explained Jayden, nodding his head to Hunter. "Plus, we're a lot stronger then you" he teased.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, but a smile was on my face. "Yeah, nice way to casually say I'm a walking stick" I joked about myself.

Jayden gave a small chuckle as I had already removed my bag and Hunter grabbed it. He dropped his bag and put my bag on his back, carrying his own bag with his arm.

Jayden dropped his own backpack before I got ready to go on his back.

Clara pressed her hands behind my back, helping to push me up.

After Jayden secured his arms, Hunter grabbed Jayden's bag in his other arm.

"Guess I'm not the only one who has a light bag" scoffed Hunter.

Jayden gave his best friend a smirk, "I like to do my work efficiently."

I gave a cackle before the bell rung. Immediately, we could hear the classrooms behind us open their doors. Buzz of people filled the halls and we made our way out.

"Bye-bye!" I said, waving to Stella, Azalea, and Clara. "See you guys later!"

My friends waved good bye to me and said their own farewells before Jayden carried me out of the school. We got some looks from other students but I didn't care.

The four of us did it a lot and although I never demanded they carry me, they would offer and I took it if it didn't bother them.

When we were making our way down the line to the closest to the exit, my eyes immediately landed on the familiar well-ridden Mazda MPV. The back covered with stickers from Aquariums, places we've been too over the years.

I thought I saw something shift within the car, through the window and then the driver door opened.

My dad immediately came out, his famous hat in hand and he looked at us. In a swift movement, he walked to the trunk, opened it, and walked (well it looked more like a stalk then anything) right over to us.

It took one look at me and I spoke in Chinese.

 _"I hurt my leg during P.E."_ I said naturally switching to my other language. My dad understood his native language faster than English (although he managed pretty well in his second language).

He sighed and shook his head. It would've appeared disappointingly with his natural gruff, poker face.

But appearances weren't everything.

I could help smirk before my dad pulled my ear. I winced and yelped before I smacked his hand away. He rolled his eyes but I could see the mirth in them.

I snickered before Jayden just resumed walking. Hunter and Alex followed suit by dumping our bags into the trunk and my dad shut the trunk.

We all climbed into the car as I sat in the far back. I snuggled and relaxed into the soft, fuzzy seat. After my dad made sure we were all buckled in safely, he started the car and made our way to our houses.

It was more or less routine. Ever since we were little, my dad or my mom would pick my friends up from school. We were childhood friends and our parents were on good terms.

More often than not, the guys' parents were too busy to immediately pick up their kids from school. When we were in Elementary school, the drive was one way to my house. We would do homework together and do what we wanted afterwards.

Sometimes the others stayed over for dinner.

Sometimes they didn't.

We still did it but it gradually became less frequent due to changing times.

I looked outside the passing nature and rows of homes as I drifted off here and there. I remember the one time we all signed up for swimming lessons or the extra art activity on Wednesdays in Elementary school.

It was odd thinking back on it, on how every Wednesday then we were given half-days.

I suppose that's how the trend of all of my parents picking my friends from school to our house.

Hunter didn't like being by himself at school or at home (his sister was already in high school by then). Jayden came along sometimes because his parents worked and his siblings were in daycare or in another school.

Alex was also in the same boat and his parents worked in Enforcement and in the hospital. His younger siblings both doing activities afterschool. All the guys' parents were busy working in the downtown center, making it hard to leave and comeback on time.

My parents were business that often worked from the comforts of their home. So naturally, we were mostly available.

My dad often drove but when my mom drove sometimes, she would give us a mischievous grin. That's when we all knew we were all in for a treat, whether going to have ice cream or McDonalds.

I pulled myself out of my stupor when I noticed the familiar land marks. We were almost home.

We pulled out of the tunnel of trees and headed down, before we reached the driveway of my home. It was rather large and would've been expensive, if it weren't the fact that no one wanted to the buy the house for _years_ and at the time, there wasn't a lot of people.

When my dad pulled up in the driveway, Jayden reached up from the passenger side to press the button from a rectangular device. The garage gate opened and my dad parked the car inside. Just like that, we all unbuckled and got out of the car.

Hunter who was sitting in front of me, lowered the seat and helped me out. I hobbled out as the others grabbed my bag and their own before we entered my home.

"We're home!" I yelled through the entire house while trying to take off my shoes. Normally I would take it off with my feet, but I was one feet down.

I leaned against the wall to take off my shoe, like a proper person, before hobbling inside.

My mom came out, her eyes brightening seeing me.

 _"Welcome home!"_ she greeted back, hurried drying her hands on the apron before meeting me half-way.

I hugged her and I sighed, happy to be home. I enjoyed being hugged by my mother in that moment before we separated.

 _"I made some snacks"_ informed my mother in Chinese before going back into the kitchen.

I didn't get the chance to inform mom of my sprained ankle but then again, it could be said later. I could almost imagine her fussing over and the look of panic and worry on her face. I debated holding it off but then again-

" _Hey mom-"_ I called out, hobbling after her into the kitchen.

As expected as soon as I told my mom of my sprained ankle, she freaked out and panicked, questioning me; from how it all happened and if it was that bad (and if we should get to the practitioner).

I reassured her it would be fine and I emphasized my statement by sticking my foot out and "waved" it to her. My mom sighed and said under her breath but I just smiled, hugging her and kissing her cheek to further reassure her.

I took the snacks before my mom could protest and left the kitchen, snickering at her when she "yelled" at me. I headed for the study room where no doubt Alex and the others were at.

I managed to get up the stairs fairly well, which further proved the point I was fine. I could hear the small chattering of the familiar voices of my friends and the guys saw me. Jayden and Alex got up from their seats and helped me to get to the table while the other grabbed the snacks.

When I was seated at the large round table, we all began to pull out our homework and began to work through it. We all helped each other with our work, although it was more of Hunter, Jayden, and Alex helping me through various subjects.

Since most of them took Advance Placement classes when possible, I was the only one who could as smart.

Which was fine.

I doubt I could've handled the workload of AP classes with my condition.

A flash of an image appeared in my head:

_It was dark, I was running hard. I could hear something loud and fast rustling behind me. Gaining on me...._

_I stood in the middle of the field, breathing heavily. Panic and desperation swarmed within me. With one last breath, I screamed and a bright light came crashing down towards me-_

My body twitched and my hand bounced up. My grip on my mechanical pencil flew and everyone stopped immediately. It landed on the other side of the table and it rolled, nearly following off the ledge.

Hunter immediately caught it and I held my right hand with my left.

Jayden placed his hand on my shoulder, keeping my twitching body still as possible.

"You alright?" asked Jayden, his demeanor calm.

I nodded which may have been exaggerated due to my muscles twitching.

"I'm fine, just the muscle twitches" I said through some difficulty.

Alex placed his hand on my shoulder and a feeling of numbness washed over me. The twitching died down and I let out a breath.

"I-I'm good" I stuttered before I relaxed.

"You haven't that bad of a muscle twitch in a while" noted Hunter, placing my mechanical pencil down.

"Yeah...it's been usually small; like a finger twitch or something but occasionally..." I drifted off, gesturing to the pencil with my left hand.

"Didn't you get yourself checked earlier?" asked Alex, slipping his hands into his hoodie pocket.

I nodded and sipped my iced tea.

"I did. The doctor said it was fine, considering my case. There hasn't been any huge problems since that day and I was considered lucky still" I said, telling the summarized. It had been less than a decade since I was struck by lightning.

The memories were hazy. I didn't remember what led up to that incident nor afterwards. Only blurred bits. There were flashes of images, memories I presumed that were "gone" but they were never clear, always out of my reach.

I controlled my breathing, doing my best to speak clearly and calmly.

I tapped my forehead, gesturing to the brain, "The doctor said that my mental state is pretty good. I can retain most information and doesn't seem like I've forgotten anything too major. My eardrums haven't de...deteri-"

My mind paused as I tried to pronounce the word. My tongue and mouth moved but I couldn't say it-

I snapped my fingers and looked at the others to help say the word.

"Deteriorate" said Alex as I snapped in confirmation to him.

"- despite the fact they should've exploded. My motor skills seem fine too" I finished and let out a deep breath.

Alex patted my back and I groaned.

I may have a speech impediment or a stutter but over the years, I got better. Sometimes though, like earlier, when there were a few more syllables I had trouble pronouncing it.

"So nothing has changed?" asked Hunter, leaning slightly against the shelf.

I shook my head.

"Which is both a good thing and a bad thing" I muttered. I stared ahead and stared at the accused pencil, my mind processing.

I glanced side to side where I saw Alex shifting in his seat while Hunter and Jayden seemed to have a silent conversation.

This wasn't new to me which I didn't know if it was a good thing or bad thing either. I know the guys were entitled to have their own privacy but at times like these, I sometimes think I'm the reason.

Deciding it was another time to think in the middle of the night, I peeled myself off the table- grabbing my notebook of math.

"So uh....can you guys help me this chemistry problem?" I asked, sheepishly and in fear.

The guys immediately looked over the problem and spent the next half in hour about atoms and ions in certain elements and how to do equations.

Sufficient to say, little progress was made with the chemistry.

As the day continued to become later, Hunter was the first to leave. We could hear the security system around the house beeping and through the old little TV, we saw a long car appear.

We stopped playing our game and we all saw off Hunter goodbye. I gave a hug to Hunter after he finished putting on his shoes and he returned the gesture.

Another thing we do often but sometimes, like right now, Hunter hugged a bit longer.

I never questioned it and I probably never will.

I patted Hunter's shoulder as a signal like "Hey, we're good now. My neck is becoming stiff and I'm going to suffocate."

When Hunter released me, Alex and him fist-pumped each other and he and Jayden did one as well but instead of just knuckle to knuckle, they also hit the bottom to top of their fists.

I waved Hunter goodbye as his driver got out and opened the door for him. The driver nodded to me and my dad, who was casually standing behind me. Hunter gave one last glance and entered the car, the door shutting behind him.

We all watched the car leave and like clockwork, we also looked out the windows before they were out of view.

Losing our player, we turned off our game and switched onto some classic ol' Looney Tunes. When a segment just was about to finish, the security system went off again and I turned to the outside window that showed the drive way.

Recognizing the car, I patted Alex's shoulder.

Alex turned and saw his family's car standing there outside. My dad and mom came out to talk to Alex's dad, eagerly chatting up a storm. We had a few more minutes and finished watch the end of the show, before we followed Alex to grab his stuff.

I held out my arms open in a silent gesture and question: "Want a hug?"

I could see Alex asking himself that question before he moved forwards. I gave him a quick hug.

Sometimes Alex would hug me back and sometimes he would just stand there, allowing me to engulf him. Sometimes Alex didn't want a hug and I knew that.

I had no idea when this started becoming a habit but I've been doing this as long as I could remember.

We separated, and Alex shoved his hands in his pockets. Jayden gave a nod and quick flash of a smile to Alex, which he returned back with a nod.

We watched Alex enter the car, his dad following behind him.

The car pulled out of the driveway and down before it also disappeared out of view. Alex didn't live far away from me but since it was night and we lived in a secluded neighbourhood, it was better safe than sorry.

It was getting close to dinner time and my parents were ready to set up an extra seat for Jayden.

It looked like there were problems with his parents with his mom just coming out to pick up on one of his siblings. His younger sister, Aashi, was picked up by her friends' parents from dancing class and was having dinner with them.

Jayden's dad had to stay behind and fix up some problems at work.

My brothers came back in time for dinner and we all ate together. It was relatively quiet and normal, the need for a conversation not needed. The food was good and I helped myself to three bowls of rice, hungry.

After dinner, Jayden and I played another game.

I leaned against Jayden as I was playing a much more relaxing game.

That's when Jayden spoke.

"Kai?"

"Hm?" I responded, glancing at him quickly.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked.

I scrunched up my eyebrows in confusion but that lasted a moment. "I'm fine... just a bit confused."

"Oh?"

"I've been wondering...what's been happening with Hunter lately? He's the same as usual but at the same time, something hasn't been right since he returned back from Britain."

I could feel Jayden stiffening and his breathing stopped for a moment. I didn't say anything as I continued to play my game, allowing Jayden to process my words.

"Everything is fine, Kai," Jayden finally speaking. "He still loves you-"

An odd choice of words and something twinge in me but that was gone as quickly as it came.

"-like you still love Hunter."

I processed Jayden's words before I spoke. I felt like I was missing something bigger in his words but I didn't dwell on it.

"I wish we could always be together like we've always have" I commented.

I feel Jayden shift, a bit closer to me and his words reflected it.

"So do I, Kai. So do I." 


	7. Chapter 7

_I came out of the darkness and found myself surrounded by nature. The grass of my feet were fresh and I could smell the sun, as it filtered through the leaves. All sorts of birds were chirping through the open sky._

_I looked around and nostalgia filled me._

_I recognized this place._

_This was when Alex and I had become good friends and our families were starting to know each other. They decided to have a Barbeque party in one of the parks. Our older siblings, who were originally classmates, were running around, playing various things while our parents were cooking and talking to each other._

_My ears perked up when I heard sniffling._

_Curiosity filled me and I went to the source of the sound. As I pushed aside some bushes and peeked over. I saw a boy with short black hair and he wore a purple tee shirt with shorts. He was hunched over and seemed to be crying._

_I slowly made my way forwards and my tiny hands gripped my overalls._

_“Um-“_

_The boy was startled and turned towards me in shock and fear._

_“A-Are you okay?” I asked, then I noticed his eyes._

_“Alex?” I asked confused._

_Alex hiccuped and was about to go into a crying fit._

_I knelt down beside him and rubbed his back._

_“What’s wrong? You don’t feel so good?” I asked._

_“I don’t like it-“_

_I tilted my head in confusion._

_“My hair…”_

_“Ahh, you got a haircut, right?” I remembered when I heard Alex’s mom tell my mom. Why do parents always tell each other about these things?_

_Alex nodded and he pulled his knees to his chest._

_“It’s too short” he muttered and pouted._

_I patted his short black hair. It wasn’t that short._

_“It looks fine to me” I confessed._

_“It’s too short” repeated Alex._

_“Why?”_

_“People can see my eyes” said Alex, “I don’t like my eyes.”_

_I stared at Alex._

_Ahhh, I remembered this. Alex didn’t like his violet eyes when he was younger because everyone had ‘normal’ eye colours. It brought too much attention to him and that brought on a number of things._

_I hugged tiny Alex and pressed my cheek to his hair._

_“I like your eyes. They remind me of that purple crystal at my home. Ame…Ame-“ I furrowed my face in frustration._

_“Amethyst?” said Alex, wiping his teary violet eyes._

_Ah, they were red and puffy._

_I pulled the sleeve of my shirt and dabbd his tear-soaked face._

_“Yeah! I heard they’re good stone!” I explained, before furrowing my eyebrows. “Well my parents said it was supposed to be lucky and stuff but I don’t remember.”_

_Alex gave a small chuckle and he nodded._

_“I’m glad you like them Kaitlyn. Thank you” he said._

_“Call me Kai” I grinned, “My parents and my brothers call me that.”_

_“Kai…” tested Alex before a smile appeared on his face. “Kai.”_

_I grinned, “Hi!”_

_I heard our parents calling for us and I got up, holding my hand out for Alex._

_“Come on, I hear our parents calling us. Let’s go” I said._

_Alex nodded and grabbed my tiny hand._

_We made our way out of the shrubbery. Hand in hand, we made our way to our parents when a gust of cold wind hit me._

_My hand suddenly empty._

_“KAI!” screamed Alex._

_The dream shifted as I was running to Alex. Darkness surrounded me and every step I took, I seemed to be sinking._

_I opened my mouth and-_

I woke up and gasped, waking up in cold sweat. I sat up from my bed as my heart pounded at my chest. I placed my hand over it, as if any moment it would burst out. My other hand gripped my head, feeling dizzy. I looked around and the room was dimly lit.

It was dawn, barely morning.

Feeling weak, I raised my knees and placed my elbows on my kneecaps. Both of my hands held my head now, while I tried to control my breathing.

That was a dream….no a memory. I dreamed of an old memory.

I think it was an old memory. It seem so real until that moment-

Feeling stable now, I let go of my head and dropped my hands onto the blanket where my stuffed toys littered the entire bed.

My stuffed bear, Mr. Tedderson, stared at me as he was telling me: _“Did you have a bad dream? You’re not supposed to be up just yet.”_

I stared at the bear, waiting for him to have answers but the stuffy remained inanimate. I looked at the wide windows that I woke up to the sky every morning.

I just sat there, watching morning come up.

What was that dream? It felt real. I wanted brush it off as a dream and my highly functioning imagination but then- I knew in my gut, I did experience it in reality…all those years ago.

I walked with a slight limp throughout the entire school. My leg didn’t hurt as much as before but there was still a good amount of pain; if it had too much weight on it for too long.

I was also questioned of what happened and why I was walking so funny. I knew my throat would be sore by the end of this day. Not to mention my head felt filled and heavy from the lack of sleep (I kept thinking of that dream I had).

I thought everything would be going well and relatively uneventful.

But I was wrong.

At some point in the day, I was standing around. It was English class. We were in the library to get help from the librarians (if we so needed to), find a book, use the computers, or whatnot.

I was absently minding looking through our school’s selection, seeing if they added anything new. I already finished my chosen book just now and was giving myself a break. My friends were either in the computer labs (no doubt searching for notes on the book online) or were situated at the tables.

I gently hovered my finger over the spines of the books, tracing the spines. My eyes quickly flashing through the words. I randomly chose a book to read the back of it. When I found it interesting, I decided to read the first few pages.

While reading through a couple of passages, from the corner of my eyes, I saw a figure walking over. My ears were covered with my earphone buds, music playing and effectively blocking out any sounds.

I glanced back to the book but when I glanced back, I saw the figure had stopped right next to me.

I could feel something hover my shoulder and I smacked the book closed with my one hand. My other darted up to the side of the reaching arm, and I re-directed to the side downwards.

I saw Jason right next to me and the heavy, fluttering feeling appeared in my stomach. I pulled out of the earbuds and stared at Jason.

“What?” I asked, a bit more forcefully then I would’ve liked.

I put back the book in my hand, quietly noting to myself to read it again undisturbed. My eyes never leaving from Jason’s face.

He raised his hands up in a “no harm” gesture but my body was still stiff. The gesture was ineffective towards me.

“How’s your leg?” he asked, a small smile on his face but it was very one-sided.

“Fine” I replied after a moment.

“Really? You were limping throughout school” Jason commented.

I shrugged and took a step back, shifting the pressure to my good leg and keeping it off from my injured leg. My arms crossed over my arms.

“Did you hear that from everyone? Or were you stalking me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in questioning. I didn’t know why but my mouth was moving upwards like a sneer or smirk.

“Stalking is a bit of a strong word, isn’t it?”

Jason lowered his hands down and copied me; his arms crossing over his chest but rested below his chest. He also had an eyebrow raised like me.

 _‘Oh he’s doing that are we?’_ I thought before scoffing.

“Contrary to what people might think of me, I’m pretty observant” I said.

“I don’t doubt that” Jason replied curtly. He then placed his hands into his pants pocket. His tone shifted, and I felt myself bristle.

“Is that all?” I asked, making my words as sharp as possible.

Jason smirked and the bristling got worse.

“One more. I’ve noticed the scar on the back of your neck” he commented, “How did you get that?”

My arms twitched to slap my hand over the back of my neck.

But I didn’t.

I usually wore a turtle neck and I usually wore a pony tail or had my hair down that covered it. Thanks to my thick hair and how faint the scar it was, people didn’t usually point it out.

But even I was wearing a normal long sleeved shirt, the hood of my grey hoodie was large enough to cover the scar.

How did he-

‘ _He must’ve noticed the scar for a while. So why is he asking it now?’_ I thought.

"I don't remember, besides why do you want to know Jason" I I replied with a bite.

“I was curious, because that scar almost looks like it was cut by lightning” he said.

A flash of a memory appeared in my mind. Before I could grasp it close, Jason was a lot closer to me. My body was frozen cold and I couldn’t move. His hand reached out to my neck to touch it and then like something was stabbing it open.

It hurt and I stepped back, my back suddenly pressing into the lower shelves. I hissed and I stumbled down. My leg gave way as I would’ve face-planted.

I felt Jason grab me before I could, and I hissed, slapping my hand over the back of my neck.

It hurt. It hurt a lot.

It was like it was freezing and burning at the same time. A prickling sensation started to consume my body and I twitched.

I could feel some appeared where Jason was touching me and was slowly making its way over me.

“ _Kai?”_

Jason jerked and I looked to the sound. The pain was subsiding to the point I had regained some of my senses.

I saw Azalea making her way over with Alex in tow.

The latter froze when he saw Jason and he stiffened. I expected the usual expression to be on his skin but then, I saw something else.

I couldn’t pinpoint it but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Azalea placed a hand on my back, looking at me in concern. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Should I…? No, not yet. Something in me told me to not say anything.

Coward.

I gave a grin to Azalea and laughed shakily, “I fell because of my leg” I said before Azalea (and Jason) helped me up.

“I’ve been feeling pretty hungry too” I commented, placing a hand on my stomach for emphasis.

“Low blood sugar” she noted, “We should grab some food from the cafeteria.”

I nodded and Jason was forced to release me, while I walked away.

Alex stuck close to me and I could see him glancing over his shoulder. We went back to the table where our stuff was and I grabbed my wallet and water bottle; which held my tea.

After getting the teacher’s permission, we made the short trek to the cafeteria. The line was fairly short and we grab some “sugar-free” gummy bears, cookies, and a chocolate chip muffin. Azalea and Alex helped me grab some hot chocolate and we settled down at a table.

Not realizing how hungry I was until now, I began to devour the snacks. Azalea helped herself to a chocolate cookie and Alex popped in a gummy bear.

He also opened the caps of our hot chocolate, so we wouldn’t burn our tongues. After tearing into pieces of the muffin to nothing, I washed it down by taking a long swig of my tea.

Feeling a lot better, I felt my body become lax. My body was still shaking with the suppressed energy and now I was randomly talking to both Alex and Azalea. They didn’t seem to ask about Jason and I was thankful for that.

I didn’t know if they were avoiding it or they were arrogant of what had happened.

I hoped it was the latter.

I wouldn’t know how to tell them the truth.

I didn’t even know what the “truth” would be.

It didn’t make any logical sense. I think I knew what had happened but then again-

The unsettling feeling was lingered, swirling inside me but was no longer prominent. I had my chin on the table, talking to the others so they wouldn’t see my shaking hands.

I could feel my entire body shaking but my voice didn’t reflect it.

The rest of the school day ended up being up more or less uneventful. We had went back to the Library, after sufficiently fueling up on sugary goods. Jason was nowhere in sight (thank goodness for that) which made me relieved but also uneasy. He could be hiding in the shadows for all I know.

We went back to doing our work on our book report and what had happened earlier, was pushed to the back of my mind. Filed for later and to be analyzed.

The end of the school day had come and as soon the bells rang, the entire school went into a rumble. Chattering filled everywhere, leaving no room for silence.

Normally, I would be at home by now but today was an exception. Hunter and Jayden had clubs to attend to.

Both Hunter and Jayden had signed up for a sports club, as a way to try out things for our first year of high school. They enjoyed having the exercise, but they didn’t know if they would sign up for next year. _Yet._

I stayed behind because my parents needed to do work at the Notary among other things for work; in which they couldn’t process at home.

Alex was staying behind for the after-school sessions for a class of his; wanting to get as much helped needed for the upcoming exams.

Since there was no need for me to be with Alex (considering we were in different class levels), I opted to stay behind with Hunter and Jayden.

I waited at the fields and planted myself at the metal bleachers. I also made small talk with Hunter and Jayden’s coach, since we were often together as childhood friends. Not always but enough for people to question when one of us weren’t with the other.

After being instructed how to properly stretch my muscles and how to start earning some muscle (I’m pretty lithe), the coach went to set up the field.

When I was digging out my sketchbook to draw and pass time, I noticed someone making their way towards me.

I recognized a build and looked up to see Victor.

_Victor had light brown hair that was cropped short into brush cut. It almost reminded of something you would see in the military. He also had eyes that were brown that matched his hair. His skin was also fair that was matched with a tall, wide build. His face slowly developing with a strong jaw._

I nodded to him as a return gesture when Victor nodded at me in greeting.

When we were talking distance with each other, he looked at me. Normally if we were standing together, I barely came up to his shoulder. But since I was sitting up on the bleachers, we were eye to eye.

“Something you need?” I asked with a small smile, casually draping my arms over my sketchbook; which rested on top of my knees.

“Not really…” he said, a bit quietly.

I knew the tone and it wasn’t the first time Victor came up to me to talk like this. Without Amanda in our midst, Victor and I got along pretty well.

We weren’t close per say, but we got along well enough to have a casual conversation.

“I’m sorry for what happened back with Amanda and-“ he took in a struggling deep breathe, that indicated to me he was frustrated. “- _Jason.”_

My face soured for a moment before returning to a neutral face.

I shrugged before speaking, “It’s not your fault what happened with Amanda and Jason. You had little words in the matter.”

Victor ran a hand through the back of his head.

“Yeah, I know…it’s just, we both know Amanda but since high school and when she met Jason, she’s been-“ he stopped unsure the next words were appropriate as her boyfriend.

“Catty? Vindictive? Bitter?” I rattled off.

Victor pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I don’t like Jason” he confessed.

“Neither do I?”

Victor dropped his hand and stared at me hard.

“What’s your impression of him?”

I raised an eyebrow at his question but replied truthfully.

“He seems nice but it feels too…rehearsed. It feels real enough but at the same time, there’s something unsettling about him.”

Victor seemed to absorb my words and sighed, “If those are your observations, then they probably be right-”

I furrowed my eyebrows and thinned my lips in confusion.

What?

“What do you mean by that?”

“Tell me one more thing: what does your intuition say?”

I was confused at Victor. My intuition? My observations?

“What?”

“About Jason. What’s your intuition say about him?” asked Victor seriously.

I furrowed my eyebrows and the uneasy feeling returned. It clenched up my stomach, sucking it in hard and it felt cold. I put a hand on my stomach as if it would help ease the feeling.

“It’s…bad” I replied slowly.

It wasn’t the most descriptive words but then again, how could I explain it?

Victor studied me a bit longer before he nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind” he replied before he held up a hand; “goodbye”.

I returned one back in gesture and turned to the side to see Jayden and Hunter; dressed in their sports uniform, making their way towards me.

Hunter leaned against the bleacher and had his hands over his arms. He obviously was observing Victor and he craned his head back to look at me.

“What were you and Victor talking about?”

I placed a hand on his platinum blond hair, “About Amanda and Jason”.

Hunter stiffened and was about to move but my arm quickly dashed out to grab the back of his shirt.

He almost tripped and I let his collar go, to which Hunter spun towards me.

“What did you talk about?”

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms over my chest.

“Nothing much. We just talked about Amanda’s behaviour and our opinion of Jason” I replied, a bit dryly.

Hunter bared his teeth in annoyance and Jayden placed a hand on Hunter’s shoulder.

“It’s fine. You know fairly well that Victor isn’t all bad” reminded Jayden.

Hunter gave his best friend a look and they had a mini-stare down. Jayden remained undeterred and Hunter closed his eyes, sighing before he breathed in.

Opening his gray eyes, Hunter tugged at the tip of his hair.

“Fine-“said Hunter before he turned to me, “You tell us when you’re in trouble though.”

I raised my hands and fanned it at him, like “yeah, yeah-“

“ _Kai-_ “pressed Hunter.

I threw my hands up in the air, “ _Fine!”_ I exasperated out. “I’ll tell you if I’m in trouble but I doubt I’ll be in any real danger.”

And I didn’t know how my words would come back and bite me in the end.

Hunter and Jayden were called out to the field for practice. I would switch back from drawing in my sketchbook from whatever came to my mind or simply do some life-drawing, to watching the team in front of us.

The temperature was warm these days and ever increasing.

I pulled at my rainbow zipper of my grey hoodie (the zipper was replaced after it broke a while back) and my front was now open, showing my layers underneath.

Underneath, I wore a red and dark grey long sleeved shirt. The sleeves and shoulders were red with black patterned designs and had finger holes. The front was dark grey and had a cartoon design on it. On top of it, I wore ankle leggings with loose cargo pants. My converse shoes were starting to feel stuffy with the heat.

I tugged at my rainbow bandanna on my head, adjusting it around so the knots were standing on top of my head.

A faint memory appeared in my head where I had the bandanna dyed rainbow from its original white form.

Time seemed to pass on and after I had sketched a couple of players on the field, I heard feet crushing grass becoming louder.

I felt like I was stabbed with a cold wind and the prickling sensation danced over my arms. My hair was raising, and I turned to the source.

It was Amanda, dressed in her own sports uniform from track and field.

She looked at me and immediately I knew something was off from the look of her eyes.

A dreading feeling hung over my head and my first instincts were either _run or fight_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as some of you may or may not know, the story originally was posted on Wattpad first. So I will be doing my best to post a chapter or two, up until the story here catches up to one on Wattpad. When that happens, it will follow a similar posting schedule.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you like what you're reading so far and please subscribe and leave a kudos!


	8. Sparking Flames

"Okay, let's get this over with, what do you want Amanda?" I sighed, exasperated.

Amanda, approached me and asked me to follow her for a 'talk'. Despite the raging, feeling that took over my body to run, I still followed Amanda....

Not after I kept asking "why" a several times.

Usually Amanda would be frustrated which would either a.) Tell me here and there, b.) Make it too much of an effort and lose interest, c.) Simply get into another spat.

But this time was different.

And I didn't like it.

Amanda just kept asking me, taking a page out of my own book, to which got me curious.

Thus here I was.

I wondered if Amanda was still set on Hunter being invited to her party, and using me was her only method.

As I followed after Amanda, albeit begrudgingly, before I realized we were outside the school. We were on this abandoned parking lot that was surrounded by tall, wide trees. It was no longer used officially due to newer road construction and that it was too far from the school; compared to the parking lots we have now.

It was often used as a place to quickly sneak out during lunch; often students using that place to get hooky. The little driveway that led to the parking lot was covered with tall, invasive plants and I tried to avoid the thorns of the wild blackberries.

The uneasy feeling threatened to burst out and almost as if I was going to puke, I felt uncomfortable.

"Okay, what is that you want Amanda? To bring me all the way out here?" I questioned, stuffing my twitching hands in my hoodie pockets. "Is it something that embarrassing or something that you really don't want others to hear?"

Amanda stopped a few ways before me before she turned around.

At that moment, the sinking feeling in me burst and I felt cold. Heavy.

Danger warnings rang off in my head and instinctively, my body reacted.

"Who are you?" I said, not realizing I was growling.

The person in front of me was definitely the body of Amanda.

But her eyes...they weren't the Amanda that I _knew_.

A malicious grin slowly etched its way on Amanda's face and my legs were spread apart. My arms immediately raised up, ready to move with whatever was coming.

Boy, did it come.

Amanda's hand burst into flames.

I thought Amanda was carrying a gas tank and it exploded but that didn't make sense. She was barehanded.

This caught me off guard and I saw a fireball launch from Amanda's throw. I side-stepped to the side and I was off-balanced.

I quickly rounded, seeing my shadow extend with a light trail.

I rolled to the side again and a fireball exploded where I was just stood. Breathing hard, I started to move and avoid the incoming fireballs.

What the heck was going on? How was Amanda throwing fireballs at me? Was she a Witch? A fire witch to be exact? Since when?!

I twirled and did my best to avoid the fireballs Amanda was throwing at me. I could faintly hear her laughing gleefully (not doubt seeing me this desperate).

The pressure was getting to me as Amanda was summoning up fireball after fireball. It only seemed she could throw them and not blast anything at me.

That gave me enough of a time gap.

' _Every 3 seconds per attack...that's tight'_ I thought.

Amanda was breathing heavily, and I was smacking a tiny fire on my hoodie.

I quickly thanked my parents for buying all cotton clothes. If I was wearing polyester, the fire would've gone rampant on my clothes, making this situation a lot worse.

I also stomped a tiny fire that was sparked on the grass. Outside of the parking lot, there was unkempt greenery growing. With the dry season approaching to its peak and paired with Amanda's element, this could go wrong very quickly.

I ducked and rolled, scratching my hands again with the ground but it hit the concrete barrier.

I wasn't sure how fire and concrete would be but I hoped it wouldn't get worse.

Amanda was breathing heavily and that was good.

Using her powers used up stamina. It was a strain on her.

Sweat was pouring from Amanda's face and she seemed slightly uncomfortable.

She wasn't used to the heat.

Something told me she was inexperienced, and this was a very recent development.

Or so I hoped.

Amanda and I caught up on our breathes and I saw Amanda's hand glow intensity.

If every movie, anime, cartoon, and video game told me, Amanda's next attack was going to be big.

"Come on Amanda, what's with you?!" I barked at her, slowly getting up. My legs were bent, and I slowly shuffled to the side.

"Let's just calm down and talk about it!" I yelled, in my attempt to reason with her.

I felt a sweat drop down from the side of my head. I didn't know if it was from the heat or the pressure.

"No more talking, today I finally get to even the scores with you Kai!"

First, she said Kai like she used to call me in the past.

Two, I was distracted.

I felt something grab my legs tightly and I looked down immediately.

"What the-" I said, noticing something from the shadows grabbing my legs. I tried to move my legs, to kick at it, but whatever was holding me held my legs like a steel jaw of a bear trap.

It started to hurt and cut off my blood circulation.

I saw something bright up and I moved my body as best as I could, to avoid the incoming fireball. It exploded and sent sparks flying everywhere.

"NO!" I screamed.

My eyes widened and I held my breath. The sparks had successfully touched some of the drier parts of the greenery and was starting to go aflame.

"No, no no-" I chanted as I tried to escape. I had to put out the fire now!

I was too busy to get to stop the growing fire when I was punched in the face.

I let out a yell and I toppled over.

My legs were free but I felt hands grabbing my neck. I grabbed at Amanda's arm, piercing and burying my nails as far as I could into her.

She hissed and her hand twitched.

I could feel my oxygen quickly depleting, with Amanda choking me and the smoke that becoming more intense.

I tried to kick at Amanda and knee her back, but my legs felt like jelly and sticks. They flopped onto the ground, making me feel helpless.

I looked up at Amanda and her eyes glowed with insanity.

"Bye, bye Kai~" she sang, raising her other hand that was lit aflame.

Darkness started to surround me and spots danced across my eyes. I tried to breath and gasped.

My heart slammed against my chest and then-

When I closed my eyes, feeling tired and my brain shutting down- images appeared in my head.

_"-Kai!!!"_

_I ran as fast as my little legs could._

_I screamed and cried for my brothers and my parents. I didn't stop. I followed after the sound of Alex's disappearing cries for help._

_Darkness and beasts of black surrounded me._

_We came to a clearing and I saw the boogeyman holding onto Alex; who moved and fought for his freedom._

_"Let him go!" I yelled as I was pressed to the ground._

_The boogeyman paid no heed to me and I screamed. I was angry. So, so angry. This wasn't fair. I need to do something. I had to save Alex because it was right. He was scared. I was scared._

_I need to save Alex._

_I NEEDED TO FIGHT._

_Something in me snapped and I gasped._

_"KAI!" cried out Alex, holding his hands to me._

_I reached over with my free hand and I, SCREAMED._

_Light encompassed me and then I heard thunder roll in the sky. The wind picked up, grey clouds covered the blue sky. Several spears of lightning crashed down around me, the weight off me. I heard screeching that disappeared into the roaring winds._

_The boogeyman turned around, surprised and he rested his eyes on me._

_"LET. MY. FRIEND. GO!"_

_"There's no way- it's too soon-"_

_I screamed and I charged forward, lightning and thunder surrounding me-_

I screamed and roared in anger, my body buzzing with energy.

My hands glowed in intensity and Amanda's expression changed from glee to shock.

Literally.

The pressure was off my much smaller body and I sucked in as much air as possible. Wind began to pick up around me. It almost felt like the air was lifting me off the ground and I got up, like it was nothing.

Energy was coursing through me and I raised my hands; ready to fight.

Looking back on it, I should be panicking. Freaking out.

But I couldn't.

I needed to take care of the matter at hand.

My entire body shook and twitched, my body buzzing like pins and needles. I took in a deep breath, the air around me smelled like smoke and ozone.

A familiar feeling rested in me and I felt centered. Like everything is fine as it should be. I breathe in once more, my eyes closed before I opened my eyes.

My hand darted out and I grabbed a part of the burning blackberry bushes. I tore it off like it was paper and I threw the burning shrubbery onto the ground.

There, it continued to burn alone.

Amanda slowly got up from where I threw her. Her entire body twitching, and she held her shoulder, tightly.

Lucky me. I got her good shoulder.

Amanda saw her bleeding shoulder and her lips twisted into a snarl.

Her head snapped at me and her dark blue eyes looked green with the fire.

"You will pay for that Kai" she spat at me.

I raised my sparking hands and moved into position. Memories of my martial class took over and I smirked.

My hand motioned a "come at me" gesture before I spoke,

"Then let's dance."

Amanda screamed and her entire body erupted with flames dancing off her. Her auburn hair became much lighter as it raised like wisps of smoke.

She charged at me and I remembered in that moment, Amanda was part of track and field.

She threw a flaming fist at me and I moved my hands. I kept my left arm close to my chest and heart, using it as a shield of some sort.

My right leg swerved backwards in an arc, and I moved back, missing Amanda's flaming fist. My right arm dove to the side of Amanda's extended right arm which lagged slowly. I used my right to move her fist to the side downwards, using my entire body to push forward.

I quickly put my right leg between the spaces of Amanda's legs, moving forwards. I smacked my left hand on to Amanda's extended arm, before I released my right.

Amanda's body turned with her back closest to me and I curled my right hand into a fist.

I threw it and punched Amanda's chest, delivering a shocking blow.

Amanda screamed as electricity coursed through her entire body.

I moved away, taking several steps as I hissed in pain.

Despite being slightly better, my leg injured form P.E. classes was still in pain. The pain overtook with the buzzing feeling in my body; keeping my mind off my leg.

I put my arms as Amanda charged at me once more. She threw fireball after fireball as I kept dodging.

Left, right, left right.

Amanda stopped briefly to catch her breath and I used this moment. I ran forward, and I swore I was launched forward.

I was hovering in the air and Amanda threw her hands.

Fire shot out and I cursed, before dropping to the ground.

Pain shot up from my leg and I hissed, before I sprung up like a frog.

I placed my wrists together and had my palms facing out. My teeth were gritted together and electricity danced in my palms. Amanda's body came closer before slamming into her with all the energy I had into her.

Thunder cracked in the air and Amanda screamed while I winced at the sound.

Ozone filled the air and then- Amanda slumped over.

I grabbed her so she wouldn't face-plant but her weight was too much. I fell over first and I would've scrapped my elbows open if I wasn't wearing my hoodie.

Amanda's front lay over my back and I was panting.

The adrenaline in my body was dying down and I was exhausted.

I froze and realized, how much energy did I use?

Panic hit me.

Oh no, did I electrocute Amanda? Was she dead? _Oh, god, oh god-_

Then I felt it.

Rising and falling.

I gave a sigh of relief and I started laughing.

All the tension in my body escaped from my laughter and I couldn't control myself now. I was shaking from more things than one and my brain wasn't comprehending what was happening.

Amanda groaned at the shaking but remained unconscious.

After my laughter died down, I took in several deep breaths. I rested my forehead against my arms, taking this chance to catch up on my breathing.

What the heck had just happened?

I knew what I saw and everything was too real to be a hallucination.

Then again, what did I know?

Amanda's weight was crushing me and I groaned, rolling out from underneath her.

After successfully getting out, I got to my knees.

I was tired. Super, super tired.

I wanted to take a nap.

But I couldn't.

I looked off to the side, getting a handle on my surroundings and I thought I saw someone in the shadows.

I peered, doing my best to fight off the exhaustion as I pulled my cheek.

"Jason? Is that you?" I asked, doing my best to yell.

I thought it was my mind playing tricks but like a rabbit coming out the hat, Jason appeared out of nowhere.

Concern took over his face (I think that was his expression. I couldn't tell) as he jogged his way over to me.

"Kai? Oh god, what happened? Are you and Amanda okay?" he asked.

"We're..." I glanced at Amanda and raised a hand, to place on top of Jason's shoulder. I patted him, before heaving. "We're going to be fine..."

"Hold on, I'm going to get help" he said.

I nodded, unable to summon the energy to reply.

I the heard Jason's feet slowly disappear before I slowly lowered myself to the ground.

Sighing out in relief and in fatigue, my body spread out like a starfish while I stared at the blue sky.

My entire body hurt. I was tired. I was hungry. I just wanted to sleep so bad.

' _I'll close my eyes for a few seconds...'_ I thought to myself, my eyes already closing.

I didn't know how long they were closed but I knew we had to move.

I groaned and pushed myself up to my feet. I then shuffled over to Amanda and I shook her arm and body.

"Amanda...Amanda...we need to go" I said, tiredly.

Amanda slowly raised herself up, clearly not as conscious.

"No..." she whined.

"Come on, we need to go. Be a good girl and get up" I said.

She got to her feet slowly and swayed and would fall over soon. I grabbed her arm and then she draped herself over me.

"Amanda, I swear-"

Then she was snoring.

I sighed but saw no other choice. My body protested but I still did it. I leaned forward, trying not to fall face-forward and adjusted Amanda's arms over my shoulders. I grabbed my Amanda's knee caps and carried her.

I slowly took us back to the school, which was a challenge. What made it worse was that I was much smaller than Amanda and she was a lot heavier than I was.

I had hoped Amanda would take herself away or someone would come by now but-

No sense in thinking otherwise.

Didn't mean I wasn't going to complain.

I was faced down and I kept glancing side to side, using whatever knowledge of the school to find out where I was going.

I could feel myself slipping and just as darkness was about to take over, my knees were on the ground when I heard several thundering footsteps.

I looked up, breathing heavily.

Right at the front, was Hunter, Jayden, and Alex. They seemed to skip a few steps ahead when we made eye contact.

I gave them a weak grin and I saw Victor and Jason right behind my childhood friends, with their coach and Amanda's tailing behind.

"Hey you guys...what took you so long-" I slurred before darkness took over me. I felt myself hit the ground and was being crushed by Amanda's weight.

I remembered images flashing in my mind and it was too much. Pain flashed through my head before I gripped my head in pain and cried out.

_I held Alex as he cried. I was also crying; whether it was also in panic or relief, I didn't know. I looked around and saw patches of black grass with tiny wisps of smoke rising from it. The wind blew once more, sweeping away the ashes and smell._

_The boogeyman was gone._

_So were the animals._

_Were they even animals?_

_We heard yelling and our names being called._

_The next thing I knew, we were with our parents. Safely tucked away in their arms. Our mothers held us protectively in their arms and I was confused. I looked around and saw my dad's face. He looked at me with a knowing but stern face._

_My mom was breathing heavily and I patted her face, calling out to her. She had her hand over my head, the palm against my ear. My other ear, pressed against her beating heart._

_I looked at my dad again and he glanced between Alex's parents and me. He nodded to something before he reached out, gently stroking the top of my head._

_He said something and Selena knelt down, our face to face. My mom still held me but no longer hysterical. Alex still buried his face into his mother's shoulder._

_Selena's face was blurred but I remember she was very beautiful. She spoke and I couldn't hear it._

_I found myself standing taller and knew I was in the form of my current age. I stood aside from my parents and Selena stood in front of me. I knew it was a different Selena because...this version was the last time I ever saw her before she-_

_Selena smiled at me sadly and spoke. Her mouth moved but there was no sound. I thought I could interpret her words based on her mouth movement, but they mixed between each other like an image on still water before being interrupted._

_I furrowed my eyebrows._

_"What?" I asked. "I can't hear you Selena!"_

_Selena smiled like she should've expected it and walked over. Flower sprung from her feet and she gently reached up to my face._

_Ah...I didn't know I was crying._

_She spoke once more and then I felt very tired and darkness started to take over. I knelt down slowly and laid my head against the green grass and field of flowers._

_Selena knelt down and pressed a hand on top of my black hair, tucking a strand away behind my ear._

_"I'm sorry" she said, heartbreak in her voice._

_I closed my eyes and thought._

_Why was she sorry? And also Alex misses her a lot...he still wants his mom-_

Then I was floating in the darkness. It was warm, comfortable and I was falling into a dreamless sleep. 


	9. Feverish

It was stuffy and very uncomfortable, yet so cold. I pulled at my clothes as if bringing it tighter my body would provide me with more warmth. Despite my pleas for a hot water bottle to keep my warm, my parents and my older brothers told me, "No, you're already burning."

I didn't believe them but grumbled and accepted it.

I felt like I was just thrown into an ice bath and was left for cold. I was shivering like a newborn animal, my teeth chattering.

Underneath my layer of clothes of my pajamas, I also wore a thick, soft jacket that had colourful, cartoony patterns with diamond patterns sewn all over.

Despite my internal diagnosis, I knew I was already blazing hot. Underneath my clothes, it felt sticky and wet. My skin was clammy and I reached a shaky hand to wipe sweat off my skin.

Breathing was difficult and I felt like I was in a fever dream.

Which was too far from the truth since I did have a fever.

It had been two days since I woke up. My older brothers that were attending the same high school as me, were the first to be notified. They in turn called our eldest brothers before they called our parents.

I kept going in and out of consciousness, bits of memories here and there. I was filled in the between when I woke up in the hospital.

Officially, the diagnosis was heat stroke and lack of sleep. Stress was also another fact but it was rare (or so I think) of falling unconscious because of it.

According to what I've heard, after the others found me carrying Amanda, I fell over unconscious. I was screaming and crying in pain, with me holding my head. They believed at first it was simply a migraine until I stopped moving.

Then they called 911 again for another ambulance.

Amanda's coach, helped take off some of the layers of my clothes as she was the only female among the group. Amanda herself was knocked unconscious but she still responded to the tests they performed at the time.

Hunter had moved me to the shade and Alex used my hoodie to make a make-shift pillow. When they had heard the ambulance, Jayden ran to retrieve them.

When the ambulance got us, Alex called my brothers to tell them about my state. From there, it was all procedure.

They got me and Amanda to the hospital. Hunter called his family's chauffer to drive him and the boys to the hospital, taking my brothers as well.

Amanda was considered fine who seemed to also pass off from heat-stroke but recovered quickly.

According to Jayden and my brothers, the Shelton family arrived with Sophia in tow (much to Amanda's displeasure). There were people filling up and Amanda's mother and Sophia went up to my brothers and the guys for an explanation.

I thought Ms. Shelton was going to be angry but Jayden reassured me that it was nothing like that. There wasn't anything they could explain and they waited for either me or Amanda to explain what really happened.

But the thing was Amanda didn't remember. She only remembered leaving for a break from Track and Field and that was it.

So they waited for me.

But I didn't wake up as soon as they hoped.

My twin older brothers, Ethan and Nathan, stood in as my family till our eldest brothers Xavier and Adrien, came from their university. Or at until my parents came back. They waited for me to wake up but I didn't wake up until Saturday morning.

It was fairly early morning and I remember being very bleary. I was also confused but I already knew I wasn't at home and the equipment only helped further come to my understanding. Everything from my fight with Amanda came crashing down and I was consumed with what happened.

I was so busy thinking about and trying to logically come to an understanding that it made my head hurt. The beeping got louder and I could hear hurried footsteps.

The door opened and then I saw several nurses coming to me; among them was Alex's stepmom Emma. She talked to me and asked questions and did a thorough check on me. The other nurses bustling around. I tried my best to answer questions but my throat was dry and scratchy.

When the doctor came over, he was also accompanied by a familiar face. My long time doctor, Dr. Jones. I didn't know I was so tense until I saw him.

He sat down next to my bed and he explained everything to me, while the other doctor did a check on me.

Dr. Jones after receiving the data and doing his own work, deemed I was okay to go home. He asked if I wanted to say until later or call my parents.

I remembered looking down at the hospital gown and all the smells, sounds of the hospital. Memories started to pop up before I weakly asked to call my parents.

I remember Dr. Jones popping open his cell and offered it to me. I typed the number of my home weakly but surely before bringing the phone to my ear.

I couldn't describe my parents' voices but when I called them, I heard my dad's surprised voice and my mom's movements of the quick rush of clothing.

Then the nurses put me onto a wheelchair and Emma wheeled me down to the main hall, where my parents burst through. My mom hurried over to me, nearly tripping, while my dad was stalking over. He quickly shook the doctors' hand and my mom hugged me.

And here I was, with a fever.

It came suddenly when my dad helped me into the house. He noticed how burning hot I was and I think because I was safe home, the stress was unravelling; thus the fever.

I had texted Jayden, Hunter, and Alex that I was awake with my weak humour. Something along the lines of "Hi guys, so now I have a fever at home."

The next thing I knew, Alex was calling my phone. I panicked and answered it and I could hear the relief in his voice. I told him I was fine (except for the fever) and we would talk later. Hunter was spamming texts on my phone but from his words, I knew he was relieved but also worried. Which could mean a few things.

Jayden asked how I was feeling and we made light talk. He didn't press for anything, which I was thankful (since I didn't even know what had happened). He bid me good night and told me he would come by later.

Thus here we were.

Jayden came by over with some gifts from his parents. He also told me his little sister Aashi wanted to come along but having a hyper-active child with a person who was unwell, wasn't a good combination.

Alex had to watch over his two younger siblings, Alice and Jack, until his older siblings could look after them. Then he would come by the house then.

Hunter had to address some family issues so he would come by later. I fisted the blanket in worry, did he get in trouble because of me?

Apparently, the look on my face was obvious because Jayden placed his hand on my hands. He gently cupped them and he carefully uncurled my fingers from the blankets.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

My ears were scratchy and felt like I was underwater.

"I'm fine" I croaked before my throat seized. I started to cough and Jayden helped rub my back. After my coughing fit calmed down, Jayden helped me bring the cup of water to my lips.

After taking careful sips, I gave a sigh of relief and leaned back into the mountain of pillows. I stared at the ceiling; thinking to myself.

I could see Jayden stare at me for a moment before he reached into his bag. He ruffle through before he took out a couple of papers and some books.

"I asked some of your classmates and got the teachers to give me the sheets. You didn't miss a whole ton but I'll bring you up to speed" he said.

I nodded and from there, Jayden began to teach me on stuff I missed on. It wasn't relatively too hard but my fever mind made it harder to process.

Good thing Jayden was great at note taking. He also helped clarify some stuff which helped when I would go back for reviewing.

Exam season was almost upon us so any help was appreciated.

After Jayden explained me in math, I heard the doorbell ring. The house was large and the bell was loud in turn, in order for everyone in the house to hear any guests. I immediately perked up and I could hear vibrations of feet.

The feet got louder and louder and were making their way to my room. The door was partially opened but they still knocked.

"Come in" I croaked out and the door gently opened.

I saw Alex and Hunter appear out of the door way and they just stood there. They stared at me, a bit shocked but also relieved.

I gave them a grin, "Hey you guys."

The two unrooted themselves from their spot and went right over to me. Alex hugged me tightly which I returned, patting his back. Hunter stood off to the side, hesitating until I opened an arm to him; gesturing my hand to come join in the hugging fest.

Hunter got onto the bed (there was no room on the other side of me) and tentatively joined the hugging group.

I peered up from Alex's and Hunter's shoulders and gave a large smile to Jayden; who was standing up. He had his arms crossed over each other in a relax manner with a smirk. He was definitely amused at this sight.

I patted the guys' shoulder and they released me.

"How are you holding up?" asked Alex, sitting on the edge of the bed. He pulled down his hood and draped his hands over his knees.

"Other than this fever? Eh..." I replied honestly.

Hunter scratched the back of his head and I looked at him.

"What is it, Hunter?" I asked.

Hunter looked at me and we kept our gazes at each other. I tried to decipher all of his emotions right there and what he might've been thinking; but my brain wasn't working as it usually did.

"What exactly happened between you and Amanda? It wasn't just some heatstroke was it?" he said, a bit of bite in his words.

I stared at him and sighed quietly, looking at my hands. I flexed them and I could imagine them coming to light. Crackling with energy.

I gripped my hands together and felt the pins and needles spreading through my body. I carefully breathe and closed my eyes.

I then remember the surge of energy I felt that came in my time of need. Could I activate it again? Was it all a hallucination that I saw from my heatstroke? Was it all made up?

Even though, logically, it shouldn't make sense; that it was impossible-

I knew, deep in my gut, it was definitely real.

My ears caught the sound of gasps and then silence. Behind my eyelids, I could make out a source of bright light.

I opened them and then I saw it.

Electricity dancing in my palms.

I stared at them in shock and slowly raised my hands. I didn't dare raise them too high but when I moved my fingers, the threads of energy moved along with me.

Forcing my brown eyes away from my hands and they landed on the others.

Jayden looked at it in surprise but his mind was already gearing around. He looked at me and the electricity in my hand, his hand slowly raising to his mouth in thought. His green eyes going back and forth.

Hunter was obviously shocked as he had his hands in his hair. He wasn't freaking out but I could see he was silently cursing to himself.

Then there was Alex.

It was nothing but terror on his face. His eyes were wide and his entire body was shaking. His already pale skin turned even paler like he was a ghost. The world on him was crashing down. He stood up from his bed and his hands gripping his raven locks.

"Alex?" I whispered to him.

Oh no.

_No, no, no, no-_

I couldn't lose my best friends. Not Alex. Not Jayden nor Hunter. I couldn't lose my friends that I've known for so long-

"Alex, please-" I pleaded, my hands gripping the bed post to get up. "Look I can explain-"

Alex took a step back and he held out a hand to stop me. Distancing himself from me.

"No, Kai just... stay there. Don't come any closer to me. I can't-"

My heart broke at those words. Tears started to well up and they began to blur my vision. Sobs broke out of my throat and then I heard hurried footsteps.

I heard a faint yell of "Alex!" and then another pair of footsteps hurried after.

I felt someone envelop me in a hug and I could faintly make out a pattern of black and green. The smell hit me next and I knew that smell.

"It's okay, Kai. Don't worry, everything will be fine-"repeated Jayden as I sobbed into his shoulder. His hands petting my head and Jayden rocked me back and forth.

I gripped the fabric and big fat tears started to fall.

I just lost my best friend.

I just lost my best friend,

_And it was my fault._


	10. Unveiling secrets and truths

I rubbed at my tear stained face with the sleeve of my jacket. My face was probably redder than ever; initially from the fever, then there was the tears, and then now the harsh rubbing.

Jayden was slowly rubbing my back as he sat next to me. He didn't say anything and I didn't know what he could say anything appropriately.

He was checking his phone before he sighed; setting into his pocket. Jayden adjusted himself and helped me sip some water.

My throat that had seized up and tightened up from crying, now felt a lot better with the cool liquid.

After draining the cup from its contents, Jayden refilled the water from the jug.

"...you didn't seem surprised" I said.

My eyes were casted down, trained on my folded hands. My fingers gripping around each other tightly. Nails almost piercing flesh, flesh that was slowly becoming redder.

I could hear the slight pause in the pouring of water, before it was slowly resumed.

"Of course, I was surprised" replied Jayden. His voice still soft but also confident. It wasn't a lie but not the whole truth.

"I meant," I said, turning my head to look at Jayden. "You didn't seemed shocked. None of you guys were shocked; not anything like any normal person would've been."

Jayden slowly set down the water jug and glass, his Adam's apple rising and dropping slightly. His eyes narrowed a bit before his green eyes fell on me.

He tried to shrug off my question with a smile.

"You were always full of surprises-"

"Yeah but nothing like this-" I said, raising my hand and it sparked with energy.

Jayden immediately had his hand on my shoulder. I lowered my hand down, my powers deactivating, and Jayden's eyes widened.

I rose an eyebrow at him and he sighed, straightening his back and he massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Look Kai. We don't hate you. We still love you like we've always do" said Jayden, bracing himself and I for a reaching point.

"-but you have to understand, this isn't easy for us to tell-"

" _Tell?_ " I said, my voice rising a bit.

Jayden stiffened before his own eyes casted down to the side.

"Jayden..." I said, my mouth going dry. I closed it and licked my lips, before I took a deep breath and spoke.

"What aren't you telling me?" I said.

Jayden looked at me and sighed, him kneeling on the carpet.

"It's not my place to tell" he said.

He didn't meet my eyes and I continue to stare at him. My head was running with thoughts, trying to sort it through. What did he mean it wasn't his place to tell? About what? He mentioned 'us' so it wasn't _just_ Jayden.

I thought back to Alex and Hunter and I felt a bit closer to realization. Closer to the truth.

My head throbbed painfully as I hissed. My hand flying to it like something had hit me. Like I was bracing for something else to hit me.

_I was running around and was marveling at my hands. I recognized everyone's face and we were kids. Smaller versions of us._

_We were gathered together in some place hidden. I had my hands out, cupping together as I were holding a chick. However, there was no chick._

_Instead, we stared at the dancing sparks in my hands as Hunter and Jayden stared at it in wonder. Alex stuck close to me, peering at my hands as well in fascination but also curiosity._

"Kai?" called out Jayden in concern.

"...When we were kids...this wasn't the first time was it?" I struggled out.

I could see Jayden freeze before he seemed to struggle.

"Are you starting to remember?" he asked, softly.

My neck started to burn and itch, my hand lowering from my head to my neck. My scar-

The incident when I got struck with lightning.

It was always suspected I had lost some memories but it was always suspicious. No one told me what really happened. For the longest time, I assumed it was because there was nothing to tell. I was unfortunate enough to be struck with lightning but then-

What was I doing out by myself? Why didn't I stay inside? Away from the rain and storm? Not to mention I was only a child then. There were tall trees around us so they would've attracted the lightning and I wouldn't been the only thing standing out in the field.

What was odd was that no one gave me a clear idea of what happened. I assumed it was because I was only a child when it happened, so what they did explain was lost on me.

But then I remember...there was a time when I was recovering, the guys acted odd... They more or less acted the same to me, but they seemed to guard something. Hide something from me. There were times they slipped up but being how I was, I didn't give it much thought.

I thought back. That may have explain why the guys stuck to me. Did something happen back then that made them so scared? Like I was going to disappear-

_Everything around me was dark. It was night and the only source of light was the moon and the few lights here and there._

_Howls and thundering steps could be heard behind us. I was panting hard and everything hurt but we had to run. Run, run-_

_I stood my ground. I needed to protect Alex. I promised-_

_I stood in the middle of the field, breathing heavily. Panic and desperation swarmed within me. I was surrounded by the bad people. They got Alex and they seemed to swallow him. Huge forms of darkness crawled towards me and I knew I had to fight._

_I looked at Alex with one of the boogeyman holding him hostage. He could've run but he needed to finish the job._

_He raised his hands and said something._

_The forms got closer and I looked at Alex, whose purple eyes were wide in fear. He shook his head and I gave him a grin._

_I summoned deep within me. Drawing out the bundle of energy that wanted to burst out. Ozone filled the air and the smell of rain hit me. The wind began to pick up furiously, roaring against our ears. Thunder rolled among the clouds as I looked up. Rain hit my face and lightning struck in the distance, quickly becoming louder. Closer-_

_I heard yelps and howls as the wind knocked the enemies back and forth._

_My body twitched and stung and I heard a yell._

_The forms charged at us and with one last breath, I screamed and threw my hands down. Lightning crashed down and a bright light enveloped everywhere._

_I heard screaming and I struggled to look up. I saw Alex being freed as the boogeyman screamed in agony and my best friend ran towards me- unharmed by the electricity._

_I felt tired but I kept it up. I needed to keep it up-_

_Then everything became normal and my nostrils filled with burnt smells. I lost all feeling in my body and fell over. Alex slid over to me onto his knees, his hands shaking me._

_My ears were buzzing and I couldn't hear what Alex was saying. I just smiled at him and I was so, so tired-_

_And then everything went dark-_

I widened my eyes and gasped, removing my hand to cover my mouth.

"Kai, Kai-" said Jayden, his hands on my shoulders. He shook me to get my attention and I looked at him. He stopped shaking me but still held my shoulders when he saw my wide eyes.

"Kai...?" he whispered.

"I remember..." I said.

"What?"

"I remember....that night on the field. I summoned that lightning didn't I? Alex was in trouble, we wouldn't be here if I didn't..."

My throat started to constrict. My head started to hurt and I felt even weaker.

So, I always had these powers...they weren't a recent development. I had them in the past but we were kids. 9? 10? It was only a few years ago- we didn't know better.

"We...how did we have powers?" I asked out loud. "You knew. That means Hunter and Alex know as well...that's why-" I stuttered.

Confliction took over Jayden's face as he opened and closed his mouth. "We... yeah, we knew. We had to keep that secret Kai. We couldn't...we didn't-"

I pressed a hand against Jayden's mouth to silence him.

"I get it. I know" I said before I held my head with both hands. "Oh gods, now this is making sense..."

We heard footsteps and we looked immediately to the door. We saw Alex and Hunter return, with flowers in their hands. At first I thought where did they get the flowers and I hoped they didn't take it out of the garden-

But then I saw their faces. They seemed to go between me and Jayden before the two of us looked at each other.

Jayden seemed to silently asking me if I wanted to say anything or he would.

"I remember that night on the field. When I was struck myself with lightning" I blurted out.

Alex stiffened and the flowers dropped from his hands. I watched them fall to the ground when Alex spoke.

"How much-"

"Only about the boogeyman and summoning my...power to summon a storm" I said, adjusting my hair to be more "presentable". Oh geez, it must look like a rat's nest right now.

"But not everything" said Alex quietly.

I shook my head, "No...not yet at least."

Alex nodded and Hunter picked up the flowers. He seemed awkward before he looked at everyone.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag" he grumbled but looked at me. He then looked at Jayden and Alex. They shared a nod before Alex walked over to me.

I made room on the bed as I crossed my legs. Alex did the same and pulled down his hoodie, I noticed his eyes were red, probably from crying. I felt a bit better that I wasn't the only one who was having a breakdown but also felt guilty all the same.

Alex knew. He kept this secret and burden for so long-

I smacked myself mentally. Not now.

I waited for Alex or one of the guys to speak and my patience paid off (which wasn't big in the beginning).

Alex seemed to hesitate before he held out his hand to me. I instantly put my hand into his and he held it gently. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

I waited and then I felt that familiar feeling. It was a cool, calming effect that washed over me. It was like taking a nice shower after a long day that just washed everything away. A soft bluish glow surrounded Alex and also me a bit but as it transitioned to me, it changed slightly.

I was so amazed and stared at Alex in awe.

Alex tentatively opened his eyes and his purple eyes met with my brown eyes.

He seemed to relax and he let his hand go.

And I felt...better. The fever was no longer there. There was no ache anymore. No pain-

"So...you can heal?" I said, trying to pinpoint Alex's ability.

Alex shrugged and fiddled with a strand of his hair. "I...we've always known I could heal others. When I get injured, I have a faster healing time than others. I also don't get sick like you guys."

I waited for Alex to say more and but there was none. I looked at Jayden and Hunter, who raised his hands up.

"Don't look at us. That's all we've seen from him. Maybe you knew about Alex's full abilities before-" Hunter stopped when he realized he was going to say "-before you lost your memory". The last part coming out more of as a whisper, his eyes downcast.

"-What Hunter meant to say, out of us, you were the first to shown to have powers after Alex" finished Jayden.

Hunter nodded sheepishly.

"So ever since, you guys have been keeping your powers a secret for so long? How didn't I not notice anything?" I questioned. I had my arms crossed over my chest and my head tilted in confusion.

Hunter stuck his hands into his pockets, "Tell that to Alex. After that day, our powers stopped working but he's the only one out of us that didn't lose our powers."

I looked at Alex who sighed, looking at Hunter accusingly.

"I just didn't need to heal you guys in plain sight. Besides, it's not hard to cover up injuries either. if people don't think you got any."

Jayden gave a sheepish smile, "We kept it a secret since you were still recovering. We thought you still remembered but it was clear that you didn't remember anything...supernatural."

I thought about it then I realized something. I looked at Hunter, pointing a finger at him. "You left for Britain not long after my recovery" I said.

Hunter's face soured quickly but a look from Jayden, made him wipe his hand over his face. He gave a deep sign and nodded. 

"I didn't want to leave but I was forced to by my grandfather. I still don't know what the old croon wanted in the bloody first place but-"Hunter seemed to get frustrated. "He wanted me to learn something and live up the family name but I didn't make it easy for him... so he sent back here."

I felt like there was more to the story but I put that aside for another time. One thing at a time, Kai. One thing at a time.

"So nothing happened afterwards? No supernatural events or anything?" I asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

They all shook their hands.

I deadpanned. What, really?

"Nothing? Literally nothing? It's been just that?!" I exasperated, my hands flailing everywhere.

"Well I've been going back between here and Britain but nothing odd happened?" said Hunter, looking at Jayden for confirmation.

Jayden nodded, "Nothing has happened after that day. No strange events, no super powered villains or anything-"

"Until recently" muttered Alex.

It was so low that it may have been over shadowed but we were used to Alex speaking this low. Jayden stopped and our attention fell onto Alex.

He looked at everyone before he sighed.

"I didn't want to say anything but for the past couple of months, something...has been off" he said.

We stared at him and he took that as a sign to continue. "I thought it was my...mind getting the better of me but lately, the feeling...the connection I had with Kai in the past kept trying to come back. I thought it was just me thinking back to that time but when we found you and Amanda a few days ago... "

Alex looked at me and I took that as a sign to take over.

I rubbed my face and took a sip of water before I explained the fight between me and Amanda.

I explained how I was called out by her and how she acted different. I also told them how she seemed to have the ability to manipulate fire and that's when I activated my powers. I wasn't sure if I should mention Jason because he seemed to have no hand in this but then again-

"I knew that guy was fishy!" growled Hunter angrily.

Jayden placed a hand on Hunter's shoulder, holding him at bay.

"Calm down Hunter," he reminded before he turned to me. "How long has this been going on?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. I never paid attention cause I thought it was just a figment of my imagination but then-" I waved my hand around to everyone.

There was silence as a tension settled over us like a cloud. We all were thinking to ourselves for different reasons. I was still absorbing all the information and coming to terms with what happened.

I gripped my stomach as a heavy pit began to form.

It seemed like this wasn't going to be something we could ignore. There was more to the story then we all knew and seemed like we were in for the long haul.

I bit my lips before I looked at my friends. Was this a coincidence or was this planned? Also, _why?_


	11. Where's the fire?

"So I gave it some thought" commented Hunter suddenly, after chewing on his pizza.

We all looked at him, midst way with our own pizza. My mouth was too full of my Hawaiian pizza and the pineapple pieces were starting to take over.

Jayden sipped his soda before he rose an eyebrow at his best friend.

"About what exactly?" he questioned.

His words hinting for better clarification since a lot of things happened as of late. Considering the latest incident with Amanda suddenly having powers, me having the ability to control electricity, the fact that guys knew this and hid this secret from me for so long, and more.

Alex had finished his current slice of pepperoni pizza and picked off the pile of pizza crust I was accumulating. He took off a bite and wagged it as if to say: "Please do elaborate".

Hunter was about to open his mouth but he stopped before he said anything. As if remembering we were in public and right in the open, Hunter looked around; as if to see if anyone was eavesdropping on our conversation. We were a bit a few ways away from the main group, aka our families, so we could have some semblance of privacy.

My fever had subsided dramatically and it was if I didn't have a fever after waking up after being unconscious for two days. To celebrate and take a load off, we made plans to have hang out together and just be "us".

My parents were a bit concerned that I was out and about to so fast, but they didn't seem to stop our plans. They encouraged in fact; to the point they also invited Jayden's family, with Alex's, and as well as Hunter's.

It was weird a bit since we haven't had such a big get-together in a while. When we were kids, sure. We saw each other families as much as our own.

But as we got older, those get-togethers became less.

I wasn't sure everyone would be available but surprisingly, it was fine. Jayden's family were around and after a lot of them asking me if I was alright and all, I was tackled by the guys' siblings.

To be exact: Jayden's little sister: Aashi and also Alex's little sister: Annie. They tackled me, screaming my name and started talking _fast._ They were going off one and another and I was trying to keep up. I kept nodding and smile, going "oh really?"

I really liked them since they were always fun to be with; but despite my own hyperactive energy; I could never match the energy that children are naturally given.

After I sent them back to their mothers, I couldn't help land my eyes on Alex's 10 year old brother: Mathew. He bore his mother's hair, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He was looking in Alex's direction; who was unaware of it; while he was helping getting the pizza boxes.

I stared at him for a moment before I lifted a hand, across Mathew's line of sight. He blinked and he turned to me, realizing I was there. He stared at me, his brown eyes flickering before his face soured a bit and he turned away. His feet carrying him to his mother Emma.

The rest of our family were talking to each other, mingling. We were down at the beachside and we all brought food. They were preparing the grill to make the food but the pizza had already arrived first. There was music playing and honestly, it reminded of the time in the past. I could smell the distinctive East Indian spices from Jayden's family and the spice and sesame oil that Korean cooking that was very familiar around Alex's family. I heard someone take out a bottle of wine and I looked back to see Hunter's parents.

I gave a sigh. Irritation had filled my stomach and I tilted my head to the sky, observing the white clouds go past the vast blue sky. I could just stand there and stare at the sky, almost seeing it curve and go beyond. My thoughts slowly turning from gray clouds to the white clouds in the sky.

Drifting...floating... changing-

I heard snapping and my body was shaking slightly. I came out of it as Alex removed his hand from my shoulder.

I chuckled sheepishly and felt heat rising to my face.

"Sorry about that...anyways, what you were saying Hunter?" I said after clearing my throat. A pineapple piece resting on my throat for too long.

Hunter had his face in his hand. He shook his head in slightly exasperation, his platinum blond hair shimmering with the sunlight. Despite his demeanour right now, I could make out the small twitch of his lips.

Jayden seemed to be chuckling, his shoulders shaking. He had his hand over his mouth, possibly covering the large grin. The crinkling and upturning of his green eyes, mirth dancing across his eyes. Alex rolled his eyes but it was a good natured one. His folded arms was lax and his face was light; the small bags under his eyes no longer visible.

I gave a grin and sipped my orange soda.

Hunter cleared his throat before he spoke, "As I was saying, I gave it some thought-" he paused before his gray eyes bore into my eyes. "The reason you probably had a fever was because you had it suppressed for so long, so when you first used them in a while, it just snapped and the stress of it caused you to pass out."

Alex looked at Hunter than as he spoke, then to me,

"That makes sense. After that day, it just stopped. Perhaps it was also because of your amnesia?"

"Judging from what you told us, it was pretty big. It must've took a toll on Kai and her mind protected itself and suppressed her powers to prevent anything worse" commented Jayden. His face turned thoughtful.

The guys were in deep thought and I awkwardly picked at the bits and pieces of my pizza. Sipping my soda and also blowing bubbles occasionally, I looked at my childhood friends. They clearly knew more than I did and that has never changed between us. I felt a bit left out but also awkwardly because the conversation was centered around me.

Before this, I assumed it was mere coincidence but like every story, it's never coincidence. There was a reason behind all this.

I looked at our empty plates of pizza and wondered if I should get some more. As I was going to say I was going to tell the guys I was going to get a drink (and give myself some time to escape the awkwardness), I saw some figures in the distance.

I looked and was surprised to see Stella and Jessica off in the distance.

"I'll be right back you guys" I said while getting up.

I didn't hear the guys' responses but I was already making my way right towards Stella and Jessica. I was putting on speed and I planned to bounce of them, surprising them with a Kaitlyn hug but I stopped abruptly when I saw who they were with.

Stella and Jessica were standing next to Jason and seemed to be in an interesting conversation. I quickly side-stepped and hid, but peered out to keep an eye out.

Since when did my two friends know Jason to this level-

Then it hit me. Ah yes, the little glances between them. Their words when they referred to Jason as well as their tone. Plus, they didn't blush too incognito either.

Never mind then.

But it still confused me. I didn't have many classes (or at all) with Jessica so I wasn't sure if Jason was in one of her classes. I had Stella with some of mines and we did share some classes with Jason but I couldn't remember if Stella had a real, long conversation with him.

Then again, I wasn't the type to be worried about every single thing in my friends' life. I didn't bother asking them every single thing that happened when we were apart; only learning through their mouths; from their posts online; or from what I've observed.

Who knows how long Jason, Stella, and Jessica have been on closer terms? Well...other than those three.

I saw them leaving and when they were out of sight, I followed after them. I tried to follow them while maintaining a certain distance. Close enough to see them but far enough for them not see me.

What the heck was I doing? Why was I following after them? It's none of my business what my friends do outside of school? Nor is it mine's to dictate who they choose to hang out with.

Then again-

I remember what Hunter and the others said yesterday.

_"Whatever happens from here on out, Jason is bad news. Something is off about that guy and we should never be alone with him" said Hunter._

_Jayden then spoke, "Kai, after everything, its better not to confront what may come alone-"_

I bit my lip and fiddled with my phone in my pocket. I should text them but then explaining why I was tailing them would be suspicious. Besides, it could be nothing more than simply hanging out and my curiosity was getting the better of me.

Maybe I was wrong and this whole thing was nothing but nerves and bad imagination.

As we walked, I realize we were pretty off and the amount of people around us were diminishing. We reached a clearing and then all of a sudden, there was a huge gust of wind.

The wind blew against my body, nearly toppling my light body and I cover my eyes and face from the harsh wind.

As quick as it came, the winds stopped blowing and found myself alone.

Jason, Stella, and Jessica were gone. I looked around and they were nowhere in sight. Okay, now I was confused and the heavy feeling that I was ignoring was now even heavier. I needed to leave. Like right now.

My body was shaking from being on edge and then I realized something.

There was no one around.

There wasn't anything.

No birds. No cars. No people and this park usually had a lot of people; no matter the time.

It was _silent_.

A cold shiver shot through me and I could hear my own heart beating in my ears.

I took a step back to make a break for it and then I felt a _WHOOSH_.

I yelped and ducked as I felt a brush of heat go past me.

I immediately got back up and saw flames coming towards me.

The event from Amanda flashed through my eyes and I lifted my arms to block. Electricity burst and crackled from my body, before I was flying.

I let out another yelp and I was rolling through the grass. I groaned and hissed at the pain before getting to my feet. I brushed several strands of my hair over my face and wiped my mouth off of dirt.

Looking up and I expected to see Amanda, her fists aflame.

But who I saw in front of me? It felt like I was stabled through the chest and ice was spreading through my entire body.

My fingers twitched and curled into a fist. Electricity spread through my muscles, making me stronger and ready for what's to come.

Right in front of me, her hands blazing with fire; with a stronger, wild intensity, was Jessica.

I didn't know how to feel when I saw Jessica.

At first, I suppose it could be only explained as a feeling of denial.

Then dread hit me and my heart sped up. My throat became tight and dry, a strange lump lodge sitting there.

Then it hit me.

Literally.

I rolled onto the ground, flecks of dirt flying and pain was flaring up here and there.

I could taste the grass in my mouth and I coughed, spitting out a saliva ball containing dirt, grass, tiny stones, and blood.

I shakily got up and there was a flash of pain. I winced but forced myself to stand up. My knees shook and I placed a hand on the source of the throbbing.

My nose caught the smell smoke and saw a small patch of darkness as well as tiny fire. I immediately started slapping at the fire and let out a sigh of relief. Good thing I was wearing cotton or the fire would've burnt me with it....

De ja vu.

I looked at Jessica and saw her taking a fighting position.

At that moment, I remember that Jessica took kickboxing.

The heavy weight in my stomach grew a bit heavier and a wave of cold sweat took over my entire body. Swallowing the lodge in my throat, I put my fists up and got ready to fight. My eyes scanned at Jessica and took in what I could observe.

Her flames, despite being majorly reddish-orange, had tints of pink. Oddly enough.

However, despite being fire and being bright, it didn't seem bright...Jessica's fire seemed dark, like there was some sort of dark screen over it?

My fingers and hands began to tingle as electricity coursed through me. It was like the sensation of not moving for a while and when you did, it was like a thousand needles were prickling you simultaneously.

"What's going on, Jessica?" I demanded, "I didn't do anything to you!"

Jessica didn't say anything as she charged.

I jumped for a moment and dodged to the side, missing her flaming fist. I cursed and Jessica swung her leg in a wide arc.

I stomped myself into the ground and electricity coursed out of me and outwards. The wave hit Jessica as I reached an arm out to stop her leg from hitting my body. I hissed at the amount of power and heat as it hit my arm.

I could feel Jessica falter and I didn't question it before pushing her leg away from me, before charging at Jessica.

Her head snapped to me and I slammed the palm of my hand into her chest. I felt electricity shoot out from body and travel out from my arm and into Jessica; where it took over Jessica.

She let out a small scream and I winced at the sound.

Jessica staggered back, her body twitching as I took the time to address the pain in my arm.

I hissed and waved my arm before quickly inspecting it; making sure there was no major wound. Thankfully, I was wearing long sleeved clothing so my skin was barely touched.

I heard cursing and I looked at Jessica, who was slowly moving into shape. I kept my eyes trained on Jessica while I got back into fighting position. I didn't know what to do.

I didn't want to fight and hurt my friend but Jessica had other ideas, it seem. Could I deliver a shock enough to knock her out, and not electrocute her, but then what? I didn't know how to deal with a flaming Jessica. She was already bold and hot headed when she didn't have powers, so this was just the icing on the cake.

Then it hit me. Hot headed. Fire. Of course, Jessica would be able to wield fire.

I groaned and sighed, face-palming myself. Of course, this would happen. Of course-

Something moved.

I looked at where I saw it and saw Jessica's shadow. The daylight was still evident but the shadow of Jessica seemed larger and darker. Almost as if I stepped into her shadow and I would be swallowed up-

Jessica yelled and threw herself at me.

"WHOA!"

I rolled and barely missed Jessica. I could feel and smell the air around me become dry and I rolled again, barely missing a flaming foot.

I got to my feet immediately and saw the grass beneath us catching on fire. I cursed and I swiped my leg quickly underneath Jessica, knocking her off balance.

I didn't think it would work really.

I only wanted to knock Jessica's foot away so I could get rid of the fire but it seemed with the electricity going through my muscles, there was more strength than I had anticipated. Jessica flew and seemed to float for a moment, before she crashed down, landing onto the fire.

She let out an "oof" and I took several steps back.

Her flames can't touch me if I'm at this distance.

Then suddenly, Jessica turned herself and the flames seemed to grow brighter. Hot. Dangerous-

Jessica let out a yell and she shot her arms out, launching a powerful wave of fire.

The heat of the flames hit my face immediately and everything lit up.

I knew I should be running. I knew I should be doing something but I couldn't help watch the flames gripping around each other but also spewing out at the same time. Time seemed to slow down in that moment.

I almost attempted to close my eyes, just to bask in the heat but then I could see the figure of Jessica blur in the distance.

I brought my arms up to cover my face. I turned around, my back facing the wall of fire and I braced for the hit of the fire. I waited for the fire to hit and set me on fire. Thoughts and images ran through my head and I closed my eyes.

I faintly heard a "No!" in the distance but the roaring flames were too loud. It could've been my internal thoughts yelling them out. Protesting-

But all of a sudden, I felt the ground shake. I staggered and gaped, trying to hold myself. Eventually, I feel onto my knees and I looked behind me when the heat was suddenly cut off. My eyes flew wide open and I gape open, surprised at the sight before me.

"What the h-" I began to curse before I was cut off.

"KAI!"

My head snapped to turn to the source of the voice: Jayden. He was running towards me and my eyes were shaking to gather...something...

There was a lot of expressions and it was so confusing-

I gasped and got to my feet, yelling at Jayden and waving my hand to the side.

"Get away Jayden! STOP!"

Jayden didn't listen and kept on charging towards me.

I turned to the wall of earth that came between me and the wall of fire. I could smell dry earth and there was a fine dust in the air.

The pulsing in my ear was loud and it made it hard to really listen. I could feel my heart pumping and beating against my chest, there were a few crows cawing in the sky and-

Wait.

Where about Jessica.

Panic hit me and I ran to the other side of the wall, thinking I was going to see Jessica right there and was about to charge through the wall like a meteorite-

She was gone.

As sudden as she came, Jessica – although flaming and different than the Jessica I knew- was gone.

I just stood there dumbfounded and confused.

Questions kept popping in my head and I felt like my head was going to explode-

The thumping sounds of footsteps got louder and I heard Jayden panting. I turned to him wide-eyed.

I watched Jayden open his mouth, ready to launch a slew of words, but when his eyes came into contact with my face, he stopped before he started.

His eyebrows furrowed together and concern took over his face.

"Kai...you okay?" he asked with forced calmness.

I opened my mouth to explain but something in me hesitated.

How would I begin to explain?

Jayden stared at me and watched me rub my face, as if I was being tricked and looked at where Jessica stood previously. Or I thought she was...

"Jayden?"

"What is it Kai?"

"Did...you see anyone here?"

"Huh?"

I looked at Jayden and he seemed confused. His eyes turned in thought before he rubbed the back of his head. He hummed in confusion but looked at me.

"You were gone for a bit and when I found you, I just saw this wall of fire coming right at you." He said, gesturing to the wall of earth behind me.

"Ah-"

So the wall of earth was Jayden's doing.

I looked at Jayden, who gave a sheepish smile.

Earth huh? That made so much sense, considering it was Jayden we were talking about.

"But no, I don't recall seeing anyone?" he replied confused.

I nodded stiffly, unsure what to think of the entire situation.

Jayden's hand touch my forehead, testing my temperature.

"You're a bit warm-"

Probably from all the fire from Jessica-

"-Maybe it's too early for you to be out and about. You did just recover from having a fever-"

Or it could be my fever.

"We should go back" suggested Jayden.

I paused to look back at the "battleground" before I nodded, "yeah, that'll probably be better but..."

"But?"

I thumbed back to the wall of earth behind me and rose an eyebrow.

"So what do we do about this?"

"Ah-" 


	12. Chilling

The weekend came and went before I knew it. After that particular incident at the park, everything normal seemed weird in comparison. I had thought of telling Alex, and Hunter about what had happened but when I saw how relaxed Alex and Hunter were; eating and spending time with their family- the words in my mouth died and were shut tight.

It was becoming more uncommon seeing Hunter smiling and being relaxed; the invisible weight on shoulders gone and his mood no longer so cloudy. And Alex? It's been a while since I saw him mingling with his family so naturally. I could see the corners of his eyes upturned when he was smiling and they no longer seemed so tired and haunted.

Jayden looked at me and seemed to also hesitate. We had an unspoken conversation and we were almost debating should we tell them? We didn't want to break the mood and in the end we didn't-

Jayden's sister had ran up to us and grabbed our hands before dragging us to our families.

The night came and went before we went home. I almost seemed to forget what had happened until I smelt smoke on my hands.

Monday came by and was ready to go back to school like normal. Like I didn't have a stroke and was sent to the hospital, like I wasn't part of a supernatural fight with Amanda.

However, when I was going to my locker, I met eyes with the people I know. They seemed to hesitate and seemed concerned which I felt confused but pushed that emotion aside.

Maybe it was nothing.

I smiled at them and they gave one back.

When I got to my locker and put in my combination, several sheet of papers fell.

"What the heck-" I said before I picked one up. Inspecting it, I realized they were both notes and handouts from my classes. Someone must've been sliding in my schoolwork in my locker when I was unwell.

Picking up the handouts, I tried to get them as neat as possible when I saw two figures making their way over. I looked over and saw Clara and Kalonice making their way over.

"Morning!" I chirped, my usual smile on my face.

"Morning Kai" replied Clara, a small smile on her face but her furrowed eyebrows said otherwise. "How are you feeling?"

I put aside my worksheets and put them on the shelve. I need to find a paper clip to hold them all together-

"I'm better now" I replied. I assumed she was asking about my health physically, but I couldn't help take her question in a mental manner.

"Are you sure?" Clara asked.

"Yup" I chirped before I finished unloading my textbooks and grabbed my required book for my first class in the morning.

"If you say so..."

I hummed while grabbing the pile of sheets and putting them in my bag. I had to look over them later. Closing my locker and shouldering my bag, I looked at my friends.

"So did I miss anything while I wasn't here?" I asked.

"Not really, except..." drifted off Kalonice before she looked around as if looking out for someone. She leaned down and whispered so only the three of us could hear. "Amanda came back almost a day later and had been bothering us while looking for you-"

My eyes widened at that information and my breath stiffened. "She didn't seem to believe us and worse, she seemed...violent."

A cold wave spread my entire body, with sweat clinging to my back. My mouth felt dry and constricted as the memories of Amanda using her powers and possibly letting them go berserk in the school-

"Gottcha, avoid Amanda at all costs" I said, giving a empty chuckle; hoping it would cover up my fear. "Come on, let's go hang out in the library."

That seemed to be the pattern for the rest of the day.

People would come up to me and ask me how I was doing, then before asking what happened, then to warning me about Amanda. It wasn't a secret that Amanda and I had some bad blood between each other but it seemed people were noticing something was off about my foe.

I had managed to see Azalea in Science (which Stella was absent for) when I asked if she had seen Jessica and then ask how she was.

My mind had been pre-occupied with back at the park. How I saw Jessica and Stella hanging out with Jason, to Jessica suddenly having powers- attacking me no less- which made me feel off. Adding to the incident with Amanda and learning more of the truth as time went on; there were a lot of answers that I needed questions to.

"I'm not sure really? I haven't seen her for a while and when we do hang out, she doesn't tell me much either? She seems fine but something is off" mentioned Azalea.

"I see..." I said. My lips unconscious biting my lip in thought. That sounded about the same like Clara had said. She hadn't seen much of Jessica per usual and she also said that Jessica seemed off but something like a bit more angry.

"Why do you ask?" questioned next Azalea.

Even though there were was nothing behind the question, I couldn't help be nervous.

I quickly hid the nervousness with a rehearsed answer.

"Nothing, it's just that I haven't seen Jessica around myself and you hang out with her more; since I only hang out with her during lunch."

Azalea made an 'ah' and nodded.

A bullet dodged, but the gun was still loaded and smoking.

This made me think; outside of Clara and Azalea, no one had more contact with Jessica. So what about Stella? I technically had more contact with her since I knew her the longest but we didn't usually hang out that much outside of school and certain events.

Plus she always seemed to be doing something even thing seemed busy. I hoped Stella wasn't involved in this whole 'superpower' fiasco but if she is, what power does she have?

As of yet, I didn't know what the range of the diversity of the powers are. There was electricity (me), Fire (Amanda and Jessica), and Earth (Jayden) but what else? I didn't know what Alex's was technically but he seemed to be able to heal. So Earth? With it's association with life?

And judging by our conversations and interactions, it seemed like Hunter had a power himself but until it was reawakened...

"Kai....tlyn....Kai...Kai"

I jumped at the voice and looked around frantically. I was in free period, our teacher finished teaching for our class and allowed us to do whatever, like catching up on homework or such, which everyone immediately started talking.

Sophia was sitting in front of me, our tables pressing and facing towards each other. Our binders and textbooks were open and I looked down, realizing I was trying to catch up on classes. Sophia offered to help and I lowered my pencil slowly.

"Sorry Sophia, what were you saying?" I asked sheepishly, my hands playing with my eraser.

"You seemed distracted, I was asking if you're stuck with this?" Sophia pointed the tip of her pencil to the note and math textbook; opened onto volume and surfaces.

"I-I think I have it figured it out? You did explain it well" I muttered, my hand scratching the back of my neck.

Sophia was shuffling her papers together before speaking, "I also wanted to ask about Amanda, she seemed to be-", her voice paused as her light blue eyes traveled upwards and seemed to zero down at something.

"What?" I asked, curious and confused.

Sophia reached out and lightly grabbed my hand, the same hand that was scratching at my scar on the back of my neck, bringing it down.

"You've been scratching it?"

"It...has been acting up as of late. It doesn't hurt? I can just feel it, so I assumed its Phantom Pain."

What the Phantom Pain was sourced from or reacting to, I didn't know.

Sophia stared at me for a while and I gradually felt myself becoming more and more uncomfortable under the icy gaze of Sophia. She seemed to be deep in thought but what she was thinking, I didn't know-

"Would you like to come over for a performance?"

I felt like I was just dumped underwater and I was being sinking to the deepest depths. Everything became darker and then suddenly images appeared in my head.

_The grass was green beneath us and was soft. There was a distinct smell of grass as it had been freshly cut for today. There were sounds of chatter and laughter with light music playing somewhere. There were tables here and there with chairs surrounding it. A long clothed tabled adorned with a large variety of baked goods, fruits, and drinks._

_There was a small platform set near the side and I could see the musician stand. We were all gathered around as the music went quiet and I saw a little girl dressed in a baby blue dress walking on stage. In her hands, she carried a violin and then she turned to us._

_We all clapped as she placed the bow of her violin and-_

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and saw Sophia's hand. She had shook me slightly but kept a steady gaze on me.

I opened my mouth and it seemed to take a moment before I could speak.

"Yeah, I would like that" I spoke, with a small smile.

The day continued to pass by and after a quick notification to my parents, I had followed Sophia when school had wrapped up for the day. Conveniently, Jayden had to go and help take care of his sister and Alex was staying over at school for some class. Hunter had gone incognito on the other hand.

As I buckled in and we made our way to the Sophia's home, I looked outside and nostalgia hit me. It had been a while since I went to Sophia's home. I remembered seeing that tree, those row of houses with the metal gates, and the brick drive-way.

When was the last time that I went to her house? When was the last time I ever saw her family?

An odd feeling bubbled inside my chest and as we got closer to the destination, it pushed against my chest and threatened to rise out of my throat. I wanted to claw at my chest but I didn't want to act out. I already did that earlier and Sophia already seemed to be keeping an eye on me.

After all, I did zone out more than usual.

We neared the gate of a giant mansion and the gates slowly opened. We drove up and went past the shrubbery and the small fountain; where I remembered it was a lot deeper then it looked with fish swimming around.

The car came to a stop and the driver got out to open the door. Sophia got out first and then I slowly inched my butt out and stepped out; nodding and thanking the driver.

I used to remember an elderly man with crow's feet on his face and he would always give a small, warm smile. But that was years ago and now it was a new driver who simply nodded at me.

I shuffled my bag again to re-distribute its weight while I followed Sophia. The double doors were opened, revealing the grand entrance way. There were two long cascading stairs on each side led to a floor above. Below it was an open arch entrance.

I could hallways on each side, with a larger room in front, then beyond that led to the 'living' room. The large windows clearly showing the beautiful scenery.

After making sure the bottom of my shoes were rid of any loose soil or debris on the matt, I avoided the display table in the middle and lightly touched one of the petals of the grand flower arrangement.

I followed after Sophia who walked in quick yet efficient steps and I almost struggled to follow her.

I couldn't help look around and take everything in. The interior looked pretty much the same since the last time I came here except for minor things here and there.

Mentally comparting this information so I wouldn't get lost in this giant house, I almost bumped into Sophia's back.

Immediately leaning back, I opened my mouth to say sorry when I saw one of the helpers round around the corner.

  
"Oh Miss Sophia! Welcome home, how was school?" she asked as she made her way over.

"It was fine, I've brought a friend over for some tea" said Sophia.

I didn't see the slightest movement of Sophia moving and I took this opportunity to come from Sophia's behind and bowed slightly.

"Hello" I said meekly.

"Oh!" said the Helper, "Isn't this is nice! Do you have any particular requests?"

I was confused to who she was speaking to. Was it towards me? Or Sophia?

All it took was a quick glance at me before Sophia gave a polite smile to the helper and spoke.

"Just the regular black tea Ms. Belvedere" she told for me before Sophia parted slightly to the side to reveal me fully. "Can you take Kaitlyn to the sun room? I will be there shortly after I changed."

Ms. Belvedere nodded and smiled, "As you wish Miss Sophia, come." Reaching an outreached arm, I moved and followed the maid while Sophia went to her room. We passed by some interesting objects and there were photos here and there.

The walls were painted with burgundy red and the crown moldings were still there with white trimmings. The floor was very clean and sleek with stone tiles. I couldn't tell if they were marble or some sort of other white stone. Maybe there were regular ceramic?

There were light fixtures here and there that lit the home. More photos hung on the wall, along side with several paintings.

I honestly paid more attention to the paintings now and back then, more than the photos.

As I followed Ms. Belvedere, the entire atmosphere got lighter and lighter as we reached the inner portion of the home. The real home portion of the mansion.

I remembered faintly as a child that the architecture was old but unique. There was an outside portion of the home, where the family would hold parties and visitors would only see and move around. However, if you went further inwards, there would be the inside portion; where the family of the home would live in truly.

Probably designed to keep prying eyes and hands away.

I was led through the rooms before we came upon a long row of large windows. Ms. Belvedere opened the doors and gestured me in and I entered the Sunroom. It was basically another room that was part of the outside but it was encased in glass with a door that led down to the gardens. 

"Please find a place to sit and I will bring the tea and snacks shortly. Miss Sophia will be ready soon" said Ms. Belvedere.

"Uh, thank you" I replied as I fiddled with my bag's strap.

"Should I open the window and allow some air?" she asked.

"That's fine" I said while I watched Ms. Belvedere grasp the side of the window and slid it to one side. Warm air blew through into the room while the screen kept out any bugs from entering in.

I nodded to Ms. Belvedere as she left to gather the tea and snacks. I looked around at the room and walked forward to the window.

Looking beyond, I could see rows of forests on Sophia's estate and the open sea that stretched beyond. Looking below, there was the elegance of the garden. There were trimmed hedges and bushes, with rows of flowers. There was also rectangular pool of water that acted as a water fountain and there were lily pads floating on top.

"Really, nothing has changed huh?" I lamented to myself as I rested my elbows on the ledge. I felt the warm wind brushing against my face. The few strands of my hair fluttered freely from my ponytail as my eyes observed the scenery in front of me.

I was brought out of my stupor when I saw something move in the corner of my eye. I looked and saw a dark, humanoid form between the trees but there were in too deep and too far to see too clearly.

Furrowing my eyebrows in confusion, my curiosity was peaked. I was almost ready to go out of the screen door and go out to the garden to see who it was; to get a closer look-

"Kai?"

I jumped and turned to see Sophia dressed in a blouse and long skirt, with white stockings. Her hair was down and was brushed neatly.

I must've looked more than spooked because Sophia's face seem to contort into confusion. She pursed her lips before composure took over and she took a few steps towards me. I knew I was short but sometimes it seemed like I was even smaller and Sophia was even larger.

"What is it, Kai?"

My mouth felt dry and for some reason, the words were lodged into my throat.

My fingers twitched and I was worried my nerves were going to set off my powers. I took a deep breath and I realized I was nervous at the sinking weight in my gut.

"I thought I saw someone in the trees" I told her, my lips smacking each other as they felt dry.

Sophia furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could speak anything, Ms. Belvedere came back with cart full of tea and snacks.

Sophia gave me a "we'll talk about this later" look before she guided me to the table and a chair. 

We all sat down without a word as Ms. Belvedere set the drinks and food onto the table and I just sat there, staying as still as I could be.

The feeling in my gut still lingered there and I pressed a hand against it. It felt tight and as of late, I was becoming used to the feeling.

That scared me.

Ms. Belvedere left and Sophia looked at me, my eyes meeting hers.

"Would you like some tea? It'll make you feel better" she said.

I nodded, "that would be nice. Thank you."

Sophia helped pour me a cup of tea and I took the fancy but thin cup carefully. I sat up better and my thin fingers looped around the handle. As I brought the tea cup to my lips, I took the moment to smell the fragrance of the tea.

Feeling better after taking a whiff and taking a sip, I gave a sigh of satisfaction at the taste.

The warmth of the liquid soothed my nerves and the taste of the tea took over the bad taste in my mouth.

After nibbling on a cookie and sipping my tea, I forgot about the figure I saw in the trees. Sophia and I made small talk: talking about school and what had been going in our life outside of school. Of course, I didn't omit the latest change in my life. How I secretly had powers since I was a kid but had amnesia and my powers were locked away. That was only unlocked when I was being attacked by your cousin, Amanda, when she had literal fire power and was about to burn everything alive.

I also didn't tell her about Alex having healing powers, nor did I tell that Jayden and Hunter knew the whole time and have been keeping this large secret for god knows how long and I had no idea about anything.

It was safe to say I kept my otherwise honest lips shut about the whole super powers situation. Maybe I would tell Sophia later because Amanda was part of the event and she was her cousin after all.

But right now, I didn't have all the facts and even I wasn't sure this was all real. I was still waiting to wake up and this was just a dream; just another wild and imaginative...realistic dream-

I was jolted back to reality as Sophia got up and took out an instrument case. It seemed familiar but I couldn't identify the instrument. Not until she opened it.

The sound of the locks being open rang through the room and the lid was lifted. Sophia's hands went in and carefully took out the instrument.

Producing a violin, I stared at the elegant instrument.

Sophia gave a bow and readied her posture. The bow touched the strings and everything was quiet in that moment.

Then, with the bow being dragged, the strings vibrated and notes began to play.

I watched in awe and my ears were focused on Sophia's playing. It was elegant and practised. The song was soft but complicated. Sophia's fingers danced as she simultaneously dragged the bow of the violin and pressed the chords accordingly.

My mind became focused and I closed my eyes to take in the performance slowly. Bit by bit, my body relaxed and my nerves were being soothed even further as my mind wandered.

A familiar feeling was being stirred and a nostalgic image was surfacing-

_Sophia walked onto the stage, wearing a cute dress. She carried a small violin that was proportionate to her size and she gave a practised curtsy. The adults clapped and I saw Amanda with her hands under her arm pits; clearly pouting._

_We watched Sophia get ready to play and play she did._

_It was a simple song but it was done beautifully. I stared in awe as the adults watched approvingly._

_I didn't know what the music was called but it was very pretty._

_Then it was a blur-_

_There was clapping and then there were words of praise, then-_

_-Skip-_

_Screaming._

_-skip-_

_Crying._

_-Skip-_

_"KAI!"_

_-Skip-_

_I was running, I had to run. Had to catch them-_

_-Skip-_

_"It's going to be alright!" I said shakily. I had a grin on my face but I knew it wasn't real. I was scared but they were even more scared-_

_-Skip-_

_Cracks of lightning could be heard as I screamed. Lightning blazed from me and then-_

_-skip-_

_My head was spinning and I felt bad. Sick bad. But I kept walking and we were huddled together as I heard crying._

_-Skip-_

_"Kaitlyn"_

I jumped when I felt someone's hands gripping my shoulder's firmly. I first saw gray eyes and platinum blonde hair-

My eyes slowly trailed upwards and landed on the face. The face of the person who was currently holding my shoulders, the one who was currently having a concerned look.

"Hi," I croaked out shakily, "what brings you here Hunter?"

Hunter stared at me confused before he closed his eyes in frustration and let out a sigh. He opened his eyes and gave me a stern look. An annoyed one.

"That's my question" fired back Hunter.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth and again no words came out. Was I okay? I felt like I remembered something important but there were too many gaps. I didn't know how to feel of everything. The stirring emotions from before came back and the weight in my stomach grew heavier. I felt cold and I did my best to suppress a shiver.

"I'll be fine" I replied, trying to act fine.

Hunter gave me a look but he let it go it seemed. Rising back onto his feet from his kneeling position, Sophia had her violin set down and the two blonds looked at each other.

"So why is _she_ here?" asked Hunter, his arms crossed over each other.

"I invited her" replied Sophia.

"Why? You must've known I was coming today-"

"I didn't know nor why you are here," fired back Sophia ", besides it had been a while since Kai has been here and I thought it would be a nice get together. We don't hang out outside from school anymore either."

Hunter's muscles twitched, and it seemed like he wanted to say something but he was considering it. There was a pause and during that, the tension grew and the awkwardness became hard to breathe.

I was considering what words to say to break the tension. It had been a while since Sophia and I had hung out aside from school. When we were kids, we did that a lot with impromptu tea parties and playtimes but as we got older, responsibility was given to Sophia. Her time grew limited and then we stopped hanging each other.

While I.... suffered amnesia and I didn't know the gaps in my life.

I didn't know what was going on with Hunter but whatever it was, it involved between him and Sophia. My hands gripped the fabrics of my clothes and I shakily took a sip of the forgotten tea.

The tea was cold but I still drank it.

Was I already aware of the situation between Hunter and Sophia? But it was all forgotten on that fateful day? Hunter and I were always close with the other guys, but it seemed like he withheld more and more. He kept up a certain front and never spoke much about his life anymore.

I didn't like these new revelations.

We were all brought out of current situation when Ms. Belvedere came back. She cleared her throat and we all turned to her.

"Miss Sophia, Mr. Hunter Archibald," called out Ms. Belvedere, "Garrick Edward Archibald is here. Mr. Hampton has summoned the both of you."

We all froze and stiffened when we heard the names. Sophia seemed to have a stiffer posture and I saw Hunter's breathing becoming ragged from trying to stay in control of his emotions. I saw his fists curl into each other and his knuckles were turning red and white from how tight.

His lips were thinned tight while I stared wide-eyed at Sophia and Hunter.

Garrick Edward Archibald.

That was Hunter's grandfather. He was here in Canada? Why? Hunter seemed so tight so that meant he didn't know his own grandfather wasn't here.

Although, if he did know, Hunter would've pulled any excuse out of the book to avoid Garrick. It would've taken some convincing from Archer, Hunter's father would've managed to have Hunter be respectful enough to speak with his grandfather.

"Alright, Ms. Belvedere. We'll be there shortly" said Sophia.

"Mr. Hampton and Mr. Archibald requires your presence immediately. I am to escort you there now" said Ms. Belvedere.

Sophia nodded as she turned to me. She gave an apologetic smile and I nodded, already knowing the drill. It had been a while but this was not the first.

Hunter ran his hand through his hair in irritation before he sighed. Sophia and Hunter left the room with Ms. Belvedere escorting them and I was left alone.

I sighed and leaned against my seat. If they weren't done by an hour, I would be escorted home. This was always the drill. I was aware of my place in this situation but it still sucked.

I sat there in the sunroom and drank the tea and ate the snacks. Thankfully the weather was warmer so I felt more comfortable. Eventually I got bored and opened my bag. Taking out my sketchbook, I randomly began to sketch the tea set and my ears were strained.

I could hear the occasional gulls, the wind passing through, and the birds chirping. Deciding that I had sufficiently drew enough man-made objects, I grabbed my pencil case, phone, and sketchbook before heading out of the sun room and into the garden.

Carefully walking around, I passed through the well-kept shrubbery and plants, I finally settled on a stone bench. It wasn't far from the sun room so I could hear someone call out for me but I got a nice angle of the garden.

I opened to a new blank page and I ran a hand over it. Feeling the texture of it, I couldn't help be excited. Picking up my choice of medium, I began to sketch.

The sun rays hitting my body made me warm and eventually, I shrugged off my hoodie and set it to the side. I had finished a portion of the sketch with the detail of the shrubbery (one that oddly looked like a cross between a unicorn and giraffe), I moved onto the forest.

At first, it was just normal sketching but unconsciously, I was sketching something unusual. It took me a moment but it didn't occur to me till I held my sketchbook up to analyze it.

There it was the figure from before.

Shocked, I looked at where the figure would be from the sketchbook and saw the figure standing there. My mouth felt dry and curiosity eventually gnawed itself at me. Setting down my sketchbook down, I walked closer to get a better look of the figure.

Maybe it was an awkwardly placed statue that was put there for the laugh.

But as I got closer, I realized it wasn't a statue.

It was an actual person.

"Stella?" I called out confused.

There she was, Stella standing through the trees. She gestured me over and I walked over, ready to question her why she was here. She shouldn't be here-

Then Stella walked into the forest and I foolishly followed after her. 

* * *

_A/N: We're at the half way mark everyone! Thanks for reading so far and I appreciate all the support!_


	13. Shadows lurking everywhere

"Stella, hold up!" I called out to her as I maneuvered through the trees. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Stella didn't respond and the weight in my stomach was weighing me down. As if to say: "Don't do it. Stop right now!"

But I ignored it.

Curiosity got the better of me.

Eventually Stella stopped and I did same. There was only a few feet between us. I felt winded suddenly and everything seemed a lot darker then it should've been.

"What are you doing here Stella? This is Sophia's property-" I said and felt something snag my feet. I thought it was a fine or a branch, so I kicked my leg off without looking. "Were you invited and I didn't know?"

Stella had a smile on her face but I couldn't see too well.

I felt oddly tired for some reason.

"Stella, what's the matter?" I asked, having a bad feeling now.

"Nothing's the matter. Everything is actually great!" she commented with an odd chirp. She turned around and her hands were raised up.

Everything got slightly darker.

"Stella-"

"You know Kai, I'm going to tell you a little secret," she told me with a wide grin. I looked at her and I had to struggle to see through the dim light.

_Why do I feel so heavy?_

With the little light that was provided, I looked through and saw Stella's eyes. Instead of the odd mix of hazel and brown, her eyes were black.

A sharp shiver went through me and I widened my eyes.

"No-" I said and something jumped out from my peripheral vision.

Instinct took over and my powers were activated. There was a loud POP! And electricity fizzled when I swung my arm. The darkness around me got lighter and then I realized it wasn't because it was dark naturally-

The shadows moved like snakes.

Sweat prickled on the back of my neck and the scar burned hot. I pressed a hand against it as if I could suppress the feeling and turned to Stella.

"Stella, you...have powers?" I slowly spoke out. My other arm was ready, indicated by my fingers twitching with electricity pulsing through my veins.

Stella hummed and nodded, holding up a hand. The shadows moved accordingly and I saw them curling up her body to her hand. She looked at it as she moved her hand like it was an entirely new limb.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier Kai? This is amazing!" said Stella as she flicked her fingers outwards to the side. Webs of shadows shot out and stuck onto the tree. Still holding her arm out, her other hand pulled at the strings like a rubber band.

"I didn't know-"

"You've always known," bit back Stella, "You just didn't want to know."

"Stella...you need to-"

"Stop? Give me a good reason to" growled Stella before an unsettling smile appeared on her face. "Not when I have been given orders."

My breathing hitched and the next thing I knew I was shot back. I felt myself crash onto the ground and I was rolling. I let out a yell of pain when my back hit the back of a tree.

I groaned and my back throbbed and my head was spinning. I struggled to get up but I kept getting knocked back. No matter, how I tried to get up, I felt heavier and heavier as if I was being weighed down...

Wait-

The shadows.

Summoning whatever energy and trying to focus without being knocked back, I let out a charge and a bright light occurred. I swore I could hear the shadows hiss and screech as my body feel lighter.

Immediately rising to my feet, I stood wobbling but still up.

Stella stood before me and she looked ready to jump.

I put my fists up and I felt the familiar sensation of electricity dancing across my skin and my body growing warm.

Stella charged and so did I.

The whole thing was a blur.

I wasn't sure what was happening. I knew I was dodging from Stella's attack and her shadows were weighing me down but they couldn't get a good hold on me. I swung and clawed at Stella with electricity lashing out but she also seemed to disappear and pop up like a phantom.

I could feel myself blacking out (whether it from Stella's shadows or it was me running low on fuel, I didn't know).

I didn't know what to do.

I was lost.

I needed help-

Distracted, I didn't see Stella throw a large punch and I could feel it at my entire body. Flying through the air, everything stung and I cried out. Flying like a ragdoll, I laid on the ground tired and in a lot of pain.

I saw Stella walking over when I heard voices.

My ears were ringing so I could discern who it was but it got louder and louder. I felt Stella's boot against my chest and my ribs groaned at the weight.

I stared up at her and I tried to raise my head but I could feel tendrils pressing me down.

"Why...?" I questioned through gritted teeth, the pain becoming unbearable.

"Having powers feels amazing, Kai. Unlike you, we had to get our powers from someone. If I want to keep them, I need to obey his orders."

"Orders? Orders from who?"

The voices got louder and Stella reached down to grab me.

Just as Stella had her hand on my shirt to lift me up, I heard someone yell "NO!"

A sharp ringing could be heard throughout the air and then there was nothing but light.

I figured I was dead and I was literally heading to the light but through the screams and cursing, I felt someone lift me up.

I struggled at the hold but I was being cradled protective. My hands were pressing against a chest and I heard someone calling out to me.

I looked through my disappearing vision and the last thing I saw before blacking out, was Hunter with a concerned look.

My hand was raised and I numbly pressed a hand against his cheek and mumbled out words. "Don't look so sad" I slurred before I passed out and was taken to the inviting darkness.

_I kicked a soccer ball back and forth, my little shoes worn from being used repeatedly. I could hear my other classmates already screaming and playing with their own sets of soccer balls. Today in P.E. we were going to learn how to play soccer and I was partnered up with Alex and Jayden. They were finding a bouncier ball since this soccer ball was slightly deflated and was tearing off._

_I looked around and saw the teacher talking to a little boy who had a pouting face. He had his hands in his pockets and wasn't looking at the teacher._

_I picked up the ball and stared at the teacher and boy, who was doing his best not to look at the teacher; despite her effort. His eyes looked into mines and I noticed how pretty they were._

_He quickly looked off to the side and the teacher looked to see what he was looking at. Her eyes came to mines and I felt obligated to walk over._

_"Oh, hi Kaitlyn, where are Jayden and Alex?" she asked._

_"They're finding another ball" I said and I squeezed the one in my hand. It easily dipped and weakly pushed back. I looked over at the boy and I stared at him._

_"What?" he said in a grumpy manner._

_"You wanna play together?" I asked._

_The boy seemed surprised and I oddly could feel the smiling from the teacher._

_"Soccer" I said, lifting the ball. "We need one more."_

_"You mean football?" he grumbled._

_"Foot...ball?" I questioned confused._

_"We call it football in England" he said._

_I stared at him and my head tilted to the side. "So you wanna join our group?"_

_"Sure..." he said, reluctantly._

_"Great! Now you can join with us!" said our teacher._

_We walked together as Jayden and Alex seemed to find a new ball. The two were already kicking the ball back and forth to each other and then they looked up at me. They were about to say something but they saw the boy next to me._

_"He needed to a group to join with" I said._

_Jayden and Alex stared at me as I weakly kicked the old ball away._

_"Who's he?" asked Jayden._

_I opened my mouth to speak but then I realized...I didn't know his name._

_I turned to the boy who seemed to give me a deadpanned look before he sighed._

_"My name is Hunter" he answered in a grumpy tone still._

_Jayden narrowed his eyes and I held out my hand to him._

_"My name is Kaitlyn, but you can call me Kai" I said._

_He stared at my hand and took it slowly, shaking it._

_I shook back and turned to Jayden and Alex. "This is Jayden and this Alex."_

_The other two nodded and there was a mutual thing before I fiddled with my shirt._

_And, that was when I first met Hunter._

My body felt heavy and everything hurt. My ribs hurt, my legs hurt, my arms, my head-

I didn't want to wake up but my mouth was dry. I couldn't help cough at how dry it was and smacked my lips to gather whatever saliva.

My ears caught something move and then steady feet. There was ceramic clicking and then a rustle of fabric. Someone slipped their hand underneath my head and lifted it up slightly, before a felt a trickle of water pouring through the corner of my mouth.

I drunk it carefully but hungrily, before the pouring stopped. I closed my mouth and swallowed the cool liquid and I sighed. I opened my mouth again and there was more liquid.

I sighed in relief and my head was brought back to the pillow (or that what I was assuming it was).

There was more clicking, which I assumed what was the glass set down and there was a creak of the chair.

My eyes felt like lead but I tried to open it.

Through the bleariness, I couldn't help identify the figure sitting in the chair.

"Mr. Archibald" I croaked out.

Archer Archibald, or Archie he liked to be called by friendlier terms, smiled at me sadly. He was leaned forward in his chair and he looked so worn out. He had greying hair but his mixture of brown and blond hair was unique. He had a sharp face but it was softened by his personality and demeanor.

(Not to mention the trials he had faced).

He wore a white dress shirt and I could see the suit vest he wore underneath. The maroon tie slightly loosened. I couldn't see the family brooch but I assumed he took it off. He also wore a well worn sweater and wore black pants with his dress shoes.

His glasses loosely hanging on the bridge of his nose.

"How are you feeling Kaitlyn" he asked.

Blurry and numb, I replied back.

"Bad...I want the pain to go away."

Archer nodded and sighed, as he looped his hands together.

"You gave us quite a scare" he commented with a weak smile.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "No...it's our fault, we dragged you into this mess."

"I don't know how this is your mess" I asked as I felt myself slipping unconsciously.

Archer stiffened as if he said something wrong and his tongue moistened his lips. He seemed to struggle to speak.

"Hunter and Sophia were here...they were waiting for you" he said.

"How...long was I out?" I asked.

It was still fairly bright from what I could see through the curtains of the window.

"Not long," he replied.

There was silence as unconsciousness threatened to take over.

"Kai, whatever happens, don't-"

I didn't hear what he had said when darkness took over again.

It felt like I was floating in a sea of darkness when I woke up again. It was blurry but I felt more conscious then before.

The next time I woke up, it was to hearing muffled voices and I wiped at my eyes to clear away the blurriness. When my vision slightly focused, I looked and not only saw Archer, but also Hunter's grandfather: Garrick Edward Archibald.

He was a big man and despite his age and slouched back, he still was an opposing figure. His hair was grey and white but his face was stern, his eyes still embodying the fire and authority. Dressed in his suit, he leaned against his chair and his hand was on his oak cane.

His baritone voice spoke as he huffed, fiddling with his pipe. It was unlit but I could smell the faint smoke.

Archer and Garrick seemed to talk between each other with furry but Archer was losing. Despite being his son, Archer didn't inherit his father's stern and demeanor.

"We can't let this go on anymore father-" hissed Archer.

"I will do what I deemed is best. You lost your chance when you decided to run away with that girl."

Archer clammed up and Garrick looked at me. Our eyes met and he huffed. His lips unconsciously wrapped around his pipe but he didn't smoke.

Garrick may be a tough man but he wasn't stupid to smoke around a minor.

"How is Hunter doing?" he asked me.

"Father-"

"Silence Archer" snapped Garrick.

"Hunter's fine" I replied numbly.

"How are things going on?"

"I have no idea what you're asking."

"You don't need to know. I just do."

"Then how can you ask me that when I have no idea" I fired back defiantly.

Garrick drummed his fingers on the top of his cane and I struggled to get up. I could only get onto my elbow and all my weight was being shouldered by my shaky arm.

"You're better off if you start distancing your relationship with Hunter" advised Garrick.

Whatever drowsiness I had was gone as I was shocked. My eyebrows feel upwards and my eyes were blown out wide. My mouth dropped in disbelief and I nearly fell over. I got up and stood on shaky legs as I growled.

"How can you even say that? He's your grandson!" I barked, "You can't just ask his friends to cut themselves out of his life!"

"It's because he is my grandson that I'm telling you this. Hunter is thick headed and too stubborn, like you," Garrick interject.

"What?" I hissed. I could tell his voice was slightly higher but my head was being consumed by anger.

My ears were ringing from the blood pumping and I barely caught Garrick's next words.

"You two are too stubborn. That only adds to the problem at hand. I will do what is necessary to protect Hunter and what is important to him."

"Hunter is my friend" I spat.

"Then you should do what is best for him."

Something ticked me off and I faintly was aware that I was letting my powers go out of control. But I honestly couldn't care at this point. My eyes were starting to water and my lips were quivering. I was _angry_. I was _scared._

 _I was torn_.

And I didn't know even why.

Garrick stood up from his chair and I faintly heard Archer telling his father to not do something.

"You are still young Kaitlyn," spoke Garrick as he peered down at me. My eyes were becoming blurry from the tears and I swiped at them. "You don't know the world yet and we have to do what is necessary."

I heard the THUMP of the cane being lifted and brought down. I heard something like a bell and it rang throughout.

Like a switch had been flipped, my powers stopped. I stopped and I just felt tired.

The next thing I knew, I was falling and then there was nothing. 


	14. Home

When I woke up, I was back at home. My body felt sluggish and my mind was still tired. It took me a moment to realize what was going and then I realized something. I was staring at my ceiling of my bedroom for several minutes while I tried to figure what was going on. My face reflected on the reflective surface of window, the dark background of the night sky enhancing it. Midst way trying to figure out, everything hit me at once.

I jolted out of my bed and sat there, staring at the window. It was definitely night and I hurriedly turned on my light. My legs fell through and they shook with instability. After slapping the lights on, my knees slowly touched the floor.

My entire body was pulsing and when I moved suddenly, my limbs would flair up with pain. I hissed and struggled to get onto my feet. I looked around my room, looking for my bag. I wondered if it was in the study room but there it was, right beside my bed.

I went to it, my feet almost crossing each other and threatened to topple me over.

I managed to get onto my bed and pull my bag towards me, before I opened the zipper. Dipping my hand into it, I shakily pull out my sketchbook. It felt heavier than it should be. Placing the sketchbook onto my lap, I held it and stared at it.

My mouth was dry and I licked my lips with whatever saliva I had left. My fingers felt like lead and the book on my lap felt the same.

Eventually, I summoned enough will to flip the pages of my sketchbook to that one page. I purposefully procrastinated arriving at that one page but eventually, the pages were only so finite.

After flipping the page of teacups, I arrived at the page that would confirm my memories.

I held my breath and saw the sketch I did at Sophia's house.

It was there.

The trees, the grass, the little statue...the forest that held the figure: Stella.

"So that was real" I muttered to myself before I let out the held breath.

I set the sketchbook aside and folded my hands together and rested my arm on my knees. My back was hunched over and my body pulsed with pain, telling me to stop.

I didn't.

My memories were hazy and my head was throbbing; making it difficult to think.

But it was still clear enough to remember the core aspects.

Stella had powers as well.

So the day on that beach? When I saw Jason with Jessica and Stella...were those connected? They had to be.

I counted with my hands how many people that I knew had powers now: there was Alex and I, then there was Jayden... what about Hunter?

Based on our conversation, it seems like he does but I still didn't know his power yet. But he technically counted.

There was four.

Then I counted Amanda, who had fire powers. Jessica was added and she had similar powers. Then add in Stella...whose power seemed to be related to shadows and darkness.

Healing...life? Electricity, fire, earth, and Darkness.

So far it seemed like the powers that I've seen were elemental based. Was that it? It was a bit cliché when you think about it. Out of all the powers to come true, they had to be elemental powers. There was no joke that these powers were dangerous but then again, super powered teenagers?

Definitely dangerous.

This wasn't just a coincidence. Worst case scenario, these events, the people I knew, suddenly having powers and attacking me? These were connected.

And if that was true, what does this mean? Thoughts began to take over my mind and they seemed like they were going to burst out of the seams-

I ran my hands over my face, massaging it to release the tension, but then I looked. I had expected to see bruises or some kind of mark but...

Pulling at my sleeves, I expected to see bruises, broken skin with blood... and when I lifted the fabric away, I widened my eyes.... To see there was nothing. My skin was unblemished with nothing on it at all.

I stared at my hands and arms, moving them around to inspect every part of my skin as possible. Honestly, it seemed like I just discovered I had hands.

I let out a small laugh at the imagery.

I flexed my hands and stared at them.

While I was glad I wasn't marked with anything, it did make me wonder. There was no way I didn't have something from being tossed around like a ragdoll, and putting aside the pain, I was fine.

My brain felt fuzzy but with this sketchbook as proof things gradually became clearer.

I sat on my bed while complementing the situation at hand. Were more people going to pop up and have powers? Would they be friend or foe? How did Amanda, Jessica, and Stella have powers? Were they inherent...or were they received?

If it was the latter...who or what they were receiving their power from? It couldn't be an object like an amulet or something....so a being? If that was also the case, then why was I involved? Why was the one who seemed to be the focus of their aggression?

I had a thought maybe I had done something wrong and the aggression was an exaggerated reaction for it.

Another thing to think about.

My brain felt like it was going to explode and I sighed before closing my eyes. I leaned back and fell on the bed and just lied there like a starfish.

My chest hurt from my heart trying to ram itself out. I spent trying to ignore the light behind my eyes and focused on my breathing. I felt the soft blanket of my bed and inhaled the scent.

Eventually I grabbed the closet thing and hugged the softness of it; while curling myself around it. My face stuffed into the material and tried not to think of anything.

Time ticked on and I tried to steady my breathing. My arms were clutched onto the soft object before they began to become stiff and my joints protested with pain. I let the uncomfortable feeling go on for a bit but then my stomach dipped a moment and then-

_GROWL!_

I opened my eyes and sighed. No wonder my stomach felt like it was being inverted. When was the last time I ate? I remembered eating the snacks at Sophia's house but tea cakes and sandwiches weren't filling.

Especially since I did use my energy when I fought. I reluctantly got up and sighed, running my hands through my hair. Ever since my powers appeared...no, were re-awakened, my metabolism became even more active then before. I almost wanted to calculate the amount of food I was going through and wondered what I should to do stave it off but then again,

My stomach protested once more and I swore if anyone was in the same room as I was, they would've heard it.

Getting up from my bed, I trudged out of my bedroom and went through the hallway. I wasn't sure what time it was so I carefully stepped on the wooden floor. Was it late? Was anyone asleep? How long was I even out for?

My feet touched the carpeted stairs and my hand lightly gripped the wide banister before I made my way to the kitchen. I already saw the lights were on and the waft of cooked food filled my nose. My stomach protested even more and I slowly entered the kitchen.   
I already knew who was going to be in there and lo and behold, there was my father and mother. 

Their backs faced towards me while they were facing the stove. Their hands moved and silence filled them.

Anxiety filled me as my thoughts and my hands felt clammy. I didn't know what happened when I got home (or how I got here for that matter) so whatever my parents were going to react would be a wild card.

My throat felt constricted which didn't help my dry mouth.

Apparently, it didn't take much to get their attention before my mom turned around. Her brown eyes widened in surprise before she immediately called out to me.

"You're awake!" she said before she dried her hands on her apron.

My dad turned around and in that split second, I saw something passed through his eyes. I saw acknowledgement, pride, worry, and a few other things before he went back to cooking.

"Yeah," I said before I cleared my throat, "How long was I out?" I asked.

"A few hours. You must've been tired," told my mom in Chinese, before she pulled out a plate.

I rubbed the back of my head and gave a shaky smile, "Yeah...." My eyes went around as if there was something interesting around before I reluctantly sat in a seat.

"I wonder how did you even manage to sleep at Sophia's house? It was surprising to see you still asleep in the car when Sophia brought you home."

"Ah...." I replied meekly.

I tried to stall for time as I grabbed a cup from the table, not caring at the moment whose cup it was, before filling it with tea.

"Guess I was studying too hard..." I replied, trying to think of a reasonable excuse. I couldn't lie and even if I did lie, my dad's lie detecting senses would immediately spike.

"Next time, make sure to call us so we can pick you" my dad said before he set down a plate of fried rice. Ah, so that was the smell.

I picked up the ceramic spoon and dug it in the fried rice. A strong amount of steam rose out and puffed against my face, filling my nose. My stomach growled and as if I couldn't get any hungrier, I did.

I could hear a ladle being used and I knew a bowl of soup was coming. I dug into my food and scarfed it down. Like no one had to be told, my parents kept refilling my plate and bowl until I felt like I was going to be either be blind or pass out from this food coma.

Feeling sleepy again, I was partially aware of my dad sitting in the chair next to me. We didn't speak for a bit and my mom was washing the dishes. My dad simply took a sip of tea and patted my head.

Feeling like I was a little kid again, I was nodding off when I heard my dad speak.

"Whatever happens, you're ours and we'll be there for you."

I felt like crying and I guess I was so tired, I was more emotional than usual.

"I don't know what I'm going to do..." I muttered, my lip quivering slightly.

I heard my dad sigh before he messed with my hair (that was probably already very messy).

"It'll be fine, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

I only remembered my dad lifting me out of the seat and casually carrying me up to my bedroom and my mom helped me get into my pajamas. Sufficiently comfy and drowsy, my head laid on the pillow while my mom stroked my head.

My eyelids got heavier and while I was slipping to surrender myself to sleep, I swore I heard my mom spoke,

"Everything will be fine, I'm sure you'll figure everything out. After all, you are special Kai." 


	15. Analyzing and Studying

"You told your parents?!"

I had my head in my hands as I sighed. After telling my parents the truth and what had happened, things were odd now. With the truth that my parents had an inkling that I had some supernatural ability, it was only a matter of time before things would become crazy.

After getting injured and being called on, I had to be truthful. Hiding was only going to make things more difficult and would boil over.

This also meant I had to tell the guys.

Currently, we were all studying together at the library. Classes were about to end with summer break looming over and we had exams beforehand. This also meant our classes were basically free-periods since there was nothing more to teach and it was just reviewing.

After given a rundown of what the exams might entail and the procedures, we were left with our devices and worksheets to help review for the exams. Immediately, we made plans to get together and I needed all the help I could get in Science and Math from the guys. I would be also studying with Stella, who was in the same classes as I am but...I saw her few and in between.

When I saw her again in Science class with Azalea, I was on edge. I didn't know what was going to happen and despite encountering Jessica and Amanda, they were in little of my classes.

I had expected Stella to act cold towards me, hint something from that day, and possibly attack me right on the spot but...nothing happened.

My gut instinct, who I've learned to pay more attention as of late, nothing had happened. There was no impending doom, no ominous warnings, nothing.

It was almost normal.

If it weren't the fact that I was attacked by Stella yesterday, I would've never known that Stella was a suspect.

My memories made me nervous. I couldn't trust myself a 100% that it was true, and I almost thought it may have been a figment of imagination.

It might've been.

If it weren't for the throbbing pain from my back and chest. There was also bruises but those were easy to hide with my clothes. No one would question that I was wearing long sleeved clothing in this weather, despite being warm. I preferred the warmth then the cold.

As well as studying for school, I had been making notes of what has been happening. Flashbacks were coming to me and they seemed like they were from my childhood. Had I always known or were they suppressed from my amnesia?

Whatever the answer was, I tried to write down every flashback that I could remember. I wrote them on these cue-cards and I and tried to decipher them; from arranging them around in their possible chronological order and why I may have forgotten them.

I had almost spent all of last night dedicated to solving this issue. The only reason I was still alive and awake was because I got caught by my brothers. They simply lifted me out of my chair and carried me to my room and (un-)ceremonially dropped me onto my bed.

I passed out soon after my head touched the pillow and woke up restful.

Everything was a blur and I was on my toes for the entire time. I was prepared for something to happen and I was ready to launch. That seemed all for naught and now my nerves were back again, as I was gathered around Alex, Hunter, and Jayden.

Hunter had his chin on his hand and was not meeting Jayden's nor Alex's eyes. He would glanced to me but quickly averted them. His face seemed troubled and I realized something. What had happened between him and his grandfather? Did he and Garrick get into some fight-

A sharp pain went through my head and I hissed. My hand immediately clasped onto it. I heard the guys call out to me but my head throbbed.

It felt I was forgetting something important but I didn't know what. My mind was grasping onto _something_ but I didn't know what.

"Kai," called out Alex as I felt him place a hand on my shoulder, "Are you okay? Is it your head?"

I grimaced and nodded. I regretted that decision as it made the pain worse.

"Hold on, let me-"

I faintly heard Jayden say something about keeping an eye out and a short moments later, I feel the cooling effect. The pain slowly died down and the throbbing was almost no more. I sighed at the relief and my body began to relax.

I didn't realize I had my eyes closed till the throbbing was gone. I looked up and blinked a few times as clarity returned.

I looked around and saw the guys looking at me with concern on their faces.

Guilt hit me, but I forced a smile on my face.

"Thanks Alex, that power is quite handy" I said.

Alex rolled his eyes but sat down in his seat.

"How's your head?"

"It's good, thanks" I smiled.

Alex nodded and Jayden spoke next.

"Are you sure you're okay? That headache seemed to come out of nowhere" he spoke with question.

I shrugged and leaned against my seat, before taking a swig of tea.

My hand fiddled with the bottle and let the warm liquid go through my body. It took me a moment but then I responded. "I... had a thought and I was remembering something but I can't remember what it was now."

"Your amnesia?" questioned Hunter.

I looked at him and I realized, he didn't speak till now.

I sighed and slouched before tapping my fingers against the table. "Probably," I replied before I took out my cue cards. They fell together on the table and Alex picked it up. He flipped through them and I spoke again. "I've been getting images, flashbacks-"

There were stiffened breaths.

"- and I've been trying to record them down as much as possible. I've also tried to do it chronological and see if they were connected."

 _'Or if they had any meaning to them. It could be nothing, or something...'_ I thought to myself.

Alex's hands slowed down but they resumed speed as he finished looking at them. I looked at his face and his violet eyes shimmered. His lips were thinned and I knew he had something on his mind.

Jayden took the cue cards next and Hunter leaned to the side to see them.

"So...do they always come with headaches?" asked Alex.

I shook my head. "Not really....I think?"

"You think?" wondered Hunter out loud, his eyebrow raised.

I shrugged and huffed. "They come out of nowhere and it's not like I've been totally conscious. Also to be fair, my attention has been diverted to...you know."

"So...your parents know?" asked Jayden carefully.

My mouth felt dry again and I sat up straighter. I looped my fingers together and placed it against my face, my eyes down casted.

"I'm not sure...It could be me overthinking, my sub consciousness, or whatever, but...I don't want my parents mixed into this. Whatever is going on, whatever has been happening and why we were are involved...I don't want them hurt. No one, not even you guys."

There was silence I saw Jayden and Alex hold out their hands on the table. They gave a smile and Hunter put his hand on the table. I looked at them and I gave a tired smile. I placed my hands onto theirs and I gripped them and lowered my head, closing them.

I let my hands feel theirs, feeling their warmth, skin-

And I felt grounded.

My nerves that were buzzing slowly died down and I felt more at peace.

Right. I wasn't alone.

I had the guys. We had each other backs.

After a moment and feeling better, I removed my hands and gave a breath.

"So what now?" I asked.

We all looked at each other before Alex spoke.

"Right now, it seems like you're the target Kai" said Alex, worry evident in his voice.

"But it doesn't mean we're not affected by it either" Jayden interjected.

Hunter then spoke next, "It still off-putting. Why Kai? We also have powers and judging from the pattern, the people who have attacked are the people close to her. It doesn't seem like they always had this power and Amanda, despite her record, hasn't acted out till now."

"So you're saying this is a recent development?"

Hunter nodded at Jayden's words.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I thought about it.

"Say...do we know how we even got our abilities...?" I asked.

The guys looked at me as I continued, "Like... we all know about our gifts and we did have them as a kid but you would think our parents would know. But they don't so at some point, our powers happened when it was just us."

The guys looked at each other as Alex spoke next, his brain turning.

"I don't know when it exactly happened, but it was definitely when we were together. I had powers for a while, but they were easy enough to hide and it wasn't like I could do anything else. All I did is what I do now and that wasn't often...unless you count the number of times Kai fell and hit herself..."

Jayden and Hunter gave a chuckle at my pointed glare and I rolled my eyes at Alex's smirk, "...or the amount of times when Hunter and Jayden fought each other."

It was my turn to laugh as the two boys reddened.

"Oh man, I forgot about that. You two really didn't like each other!" I cackled.

Hunter scowled but there was no real threat behind it.

"I'm honestly surprised you two got as close as you are now" chuckled Alex.

"Oh, remember when Hunter and Jayden were trying to see who ran the fastest and they fell down a hill? Man that was fast!"

"And they got stuck in a bush, a blackberry bush-"

"Those thorns hurt" muttered Hunter as he looked off to the side. Jayden had a meek look on his face and his eyes were down casted.

Despite their reactions, we all saw the smiles on their faces and softened looks.

It was good and all but then reality hit us.

"It still doesn't answer the question though..." said Hunter.

I nodded, "Judging by what you guys have said, it seemed like Alex was the first one to have his...gifts."

Alex nodded as he folded his arms together. "Yeah, I had them for a while but then you suddenly had powers Kai."

"It was when I was 8?" I asked.

Alex nodded, "Roughly."

"Then who was next?" I asked, pointing between Jayden and Hunter.

The two looked at each other as a wordless conversation passed between them.

"I guess... ours came about roughly the same time?" said Jayden.

Hunter shrugged.

"I knew after Alex and Kai showed us, it was just the two of them. Honestly, I was jealous but not long after though, Jayden had his and me."

"Wait, how did you guys know you had powers?" I asked.

Hunter and Jayden took a moment to think before Jayden turned to me.

"It wasn't something special? We were playing around and the next thing we knew, the earth was being moved..."

"-and I got hit with mud balls" complained Hunter.

"And then I got hit with the metal bucket" complained back Jayden.

The two shared a heated stare and if I didn't know they were really best friends, I would be worrying they were going to argue with each other.

"So that doesn't solve anything" I said out loud. "I figured if we knew how ours started, we would know how Amanda, Stella, and Jessica gotten theirs."

We sat there at our table, pondering and the air around us became stiffer and stiffer.

"I guess we can only wait and see things play out" said Jayden as we nodded.

"Yeah, we don't have all the facts, so we can't worry about something we don't know about..." I muttered.

"Also, we have to divert our attention to something more important" said Hunter.

I looked and saw Hunter, Alex, and Jayden open their binders, notes, and textbooks before Alex tapped my open binder.

"Ah...right."

Exams.

Shoot.


	16. An after-school field trip

Nothing happened after a while. With exams consuming our social lives and rose over the sides, we didn't obsess our latest development. It still appeared in my mind with flashbacks here and there but when I think about the pressure of doing well, and getting at least an average in my grades, those worries were put aside.

I was never good at subjects like math or Science, so I had poured all of my extra energy to having at least a fraction of a better grade. Getting tutored by the guys and my other friends helped a lot and life was relatively quiet.

Despite the over looming stress and thoughts, I was happy. Surrounded by my friends as we studied together and we joked and socialized in our breaks, it almost seemed like everything that had happened beforehand didn't happen.

Looking at Jessica and Stella, who were talking about a topic that went along the lines of "boys", latest gossip, and issue, I almost forgot they tried to kill me.

Well, that was extreme...it was more of like it almost seemed like they were possessed and were thrown into a state to harm me immensely...

I was mid-way feeding the accumulation of chips in my mouth like a squirrel when that thought sunk in. My eyes blew wide and I choked; which didn't help that the chips were spiced.

"Kai? You okay?" asked Stella as Clara reached over and helped me rub my back.

I was trying not to choke and chew at the same time, gratefully taking the soda from Kalonice; successfully swallowing the lump of chips and washing it down with several gulps of fizzy goodness...which did not go well because of the carbon.

I have the others a thumbs up as I went through a series of cough and wheezing.

My hand covered my lower face as everything weighed on me. I was hunched over as I was facing away from the group, my eyes seemingly going everywhere.

 _Was that the answer all along? Was it really that simple? Was it possession that took over my friends?_ Flashes of memories hit me as they seemingly made more and more sense. A new heavy weight appeared in my gut and I took in a deep breath.

This changes things a bit.

I turned back to my friends who were concerned to me and looking at two of my friends who were possessed, I had to play it safe till then. It could be a fluke. It could be an act and they were still hostile. I didn't have all of the facts and I needed to play it off.

"You okay Kai?" asked Azalea worriedly.

I immediately gave a grin and slammed my chest a few times in emphasis. "I'm fine~" I said before laughing a bit, "Just the combo of a mouthful of chips and fizzy soda when you're choking is not a good mix."

I made a blanched face while scrunching up my nose; my eyes turned slight upwards and to the side.

I heard a snort and then I felt the mood being lifted and I felt myself relax.

 _'I can't say anything'_ I thought to myself as I picked up a Pocky piece. I stared at it for a moment before my eyes fell onto the individuals at the table.

I knew for sure Stella and Jessica were my primary concerned since they did attack me. And if they are possessed, it would stand to reason they could be possessed again. However, that brought me another concerned.

If they were indeed possessed, by whoever or whatever it was, then what's stopping the mastermind from possessing my other friends? I looked at Clara and Azalea. They weren't the type of people to have some beef to deal with and Kalonice was more or less in the same boat as well.

While they didn't seem to be the type to be in a fight or have any form of aggression, possession would change that belief...besides, there was more to people then people realized. They only had to be exposed to be known.

~~~~~

Exams came and went. Everyone was tense and the school felt like it had a lot less energy and classes were basically review. Summer vacation was creeping closer and I did admit, being able to be free from the confines of school brought some excitement.

I poured into my exams and hoped my brain would miraculously remember everything based on the questions and with some slight struggle, I managed to finish my exams.

The relief from the exams and summer vacation officially attainable, was satisfying.

But there was one more thing to attend to.

We all had to go to our homeroom and go through basically a lecture for the end of year celebration. It wasn't common but for some reason, the school had received a generous donation from some company or organization (the details escaped me), and we were invited to go to on a school trip hosted by the Sponsor. The sponsor wanted to try out their products and gather some data, right before they revealed to the mass public.

The homeroom went as we expected. We were given forms and resources, before we were also told what to expect, safety precautions, and the run of the mill procedures. It seemed like there were other schools that were also selected so we had to be mindful of other students; as well as I quote, "Represent the school appropriately and with pride".

Even my teacher had a joke at the phrase they were told to specifically say.

I hadn't been on many trips so this was both exciting and nerve-wracking for me. I was so caught up getting ready for the trip, my worries were put aside and what had happened was simply a figment of my imagination.

Perhaps it was, and I was so convinced in it.

It was around early morning as I stood outside the school. We were to gather together and get ready to go onto the large tour buses and as time ticked on, the quiet morning became faint. People were talking together excitedly and some looked like they had rolled out of bed and went straight here.

I tried to tame down my bed hair, but I gave up half-way through. I could still feel several of the strands being erect out. I sighed and sat on my suitcase, while Alex was still half-asleep besides me. He had his headphones on with his hood exaggeratedly pulled over his head, before curling against me.

If I listened closely, I could hear him snore and I wondered if he had brought his sleeping mask. If he did, I wonder if he brought an extra, so I could borrow it during the ride. I woke up too early and spent my time just checking my bags if I had everything.

Over in the distance, I saw some familiar people and saw Jayden and Hunter. They seemed to have arrived at the same time and both carried a carry-on. They seemed to carry it so easily and I rose my arm up in greeting.

It took a moment for the two to spot us from the mass of people, but when they did, they began to lightly jog over. The two saw Alex leaning against me and they quietly set their bags down before we made light talk.

Eventually Jayden sat down next to me and unconsciously, leaned against him when my friends gradually got together, and we grouped together. We talked and soon it was time to board the bus. I shook Alex awake and his face reminded me of a grumpy cat.

I almost laughed as he gave a look of disdain before he grumbled and got up. He grabbed his bags and I grabbed mine (albeit with some struggle and help) before we lined up. We were called out individually and gave our bags to the driver before we could get on.

The way we were assigned to each bus was by alphabetical order by surname, separating me from a lot of people I knew. I waved to some of the group, who were already getting on, before it was my turn. I didn't pay much attention to who was on the bus exactly; but considering I was near the end of the order, I was separated from the majority of my friend group.

I also regrettably, forgot to ask Alex if he had an extra sleeping mask.

Grumbling, I made my way down the bus to find a seat. I found one at the end and had the window seat. Sliding in, I sighed and glanced outside. I could hear the other students talking adamantly (at least comparatively for the morning) and eventually, they became irritating.

My head throbbed since I wasn't used to this much noise in the morning, before I put my earbuds into my ears. Through muscle memory, I started my MP3 and music began to play in my ear. I didn't care for what song was playing at the moment, but I only cared if it was loud enough to drone out the outside.

It did.

I relaxed and let my mind wander as I waited for the bus to start. Eventually it did and the vibration from the engine shook my entire body. I glanced forward and I could see everyone was seated and no one was going to sit beside me.

I gleefully placed my bag onto the empty seat beside me and I lounged my leg across. It felt nice to prop my leg up. I leaned the other half of my body against the window; my arm propping my head up. My hand cupped the back of my hand, and I traced the scar lightly out of habit.

The bus began to move and we were on our way to our destination.

I looked out and watched the sky turn from pinkish purple to orange, before slipping into the familiar blue sky.

My eyes dazed across the fluffy clouds and followed the occasionally birds flying over. I could recognize familiar landmarks but once we got onto the highway, everything went faster. Our bus driver followed the line of buses in front of us as we all headed together at the same speed.

Eventually, my eyes began to droop from the lack of sleep and the music helped me doze off in peace.

_My tiny self walked along side Alex, who was holding his mom's hand. Selena's golden hair took an orange hue as we passed under the lights. Her usually smiling face was strained as her eyes seemed to trained forward. They occasionally looked around like she was finding something but when she saw me watching, she flashed me and her son a reassuring smile._

_Was it for us or was it for her?_

_I forgot where we were but Selena wanted to make a quick visit to her workplace for something. We were on our way to do something and now...what was it?_

_I returned to my lollipop and stuck out my orange coated tongue to Alex._

_He fired back with his own purple coated tongue and we giggled._

_We stopped at a room and Alex excused himself to go the bathroom. Usually, Selena would follow and we would all go together but whatever Selena needed was going to be quick. I stood at the door, licking my lollipop while Selena frantically searched a desk._

_I felt more and more uncomfortable and how quiet it was. Then the lacks began to flicker._

_My eyes looked at the flickering lights and felt dread creeping up._

_And then, one by one the lights started to disappear._

_Selena's head shot up and she seemed panicked. She looked towards me and then I never felt more scared. The ever gentled-eyed; bright eyes of Selena was replaced with terror, broken eyes._

_She made steps towards me and I did the same, before she grabbed me. Selena quickly carried me to a door and opened in. She gently but quickly dropped me down and I looked up at her._

_Her mouth moved:_

_"I'll be back, stay here and be a good girl."_

_I nodded and she closed the door. There was a vent-like thing at the lower part of the door and I looked out from there. The glass too high for me to look out. The vent didn't provide me enough but it would have to do._

_Curiousity took over and the lights started go off even faster. I saw her lock the door we came in and she seemed to be finding something in the desk._

_Then- Darkness._

_I didn't know what was going on but then; there was a small amount of light and it seemed to radiate off Selena._

_I saw a figure and widened my eyes at who it was._

_The Boogeyman._

_I saw Selena yell at the Boogeyman, who seemed to retort a few things and then there were more figures._

_Everything was a blur and I could hear loud sounds. I looked around and saw a desk, that was propped against the wall. Above it, there was a window. I rushed over and climbed onto the chair as best as I could but couldn't get up._

_I pulled at the drawers and climb onto the small bar and climbed onto the desk._

_Then, I saw Selena and the Boogeyman._

_The other figures lied on the floor with red on the floor. What was it?_

_Then- I saw the Boogeyman charge at Selena and then it was another blur._

_I found myself breaking through the glass and then-_

_I was kneeling on the ground beside Selena's body._

_Her eyes looked at me; with emotions going past as she gripped her necklace. She held it out to me and mouthed words._

_I could hear hissing and yelling of pain. Electricity was coursing around me and I looked at the screaming boogeyman._

_He seemed to be in pain but I didn't seemed to care...or was it because I didn't know what I had done? Then I saw the door was open._

_I thought was Alex standing there but it wasn't._

_It was another boy._

_The boogeyman didn't seem to pay attention to the boy before he advanced towards us. I stood up and I felt Selena pull against my small clothes._

_I stood and look at the boogeyman, my body humming._

_Then there was another blur._

_I found myself on my side and I felt sleepy._

_I looked around and saw Alex sobbing beside Selena's body. He cried and tugged at her clothes. I looked back at the door, the boy no longer there. My mind dazed off and remember the boy disappearing with the Boogeyman before Alex appeared out and ran towards his mother._

_Then I heard the screaming of Alex-_

A large bump and swerve woke me up as I gasped and yelped. I had also slammed against the seat in front me and I looked around in a panic. My heard hammered against my chest before I looked outside.

It had gotten significantly brighter but it was still the morning. The sky now more bluer then before.

I re-adjusted myself and seen we were going through some sharp turns. I immediately planted my feet onto the floor and sat more appropriately; before taking a sip of my bottle. I welcomed the taste of tea going down my throat before I looked around.

Many of my fellow classmates were either still chatting or had taken a small nap. I saw several of my classmates resting their head against their friends' shoulders (where I assumed some people had asked others if they could sit with their friends).

I decided to pull out my phone and checked it. There were messages from my friends and was thankful my parents got me data for this trip.

I scrolled through the old messages before I decided to put my own words in.

_Me: I'm hungry (=A=)_

_Clara: Didn't you eat beforehand?_

_Azalea: Don't you have food with you?_

_Me: I already ate breakfast but it's gone._

_Me: I only have candy and granola bars. I need more than that though-_

_Alex: We should be arriving at the destination there soon. Just bear with it._

_Me: =3=_

_Stella: Are we eating together or what?_

_Kalonice: I guess we'll see after we check into our rooms._

_Me: But my food!_

_Everyone: We know lol/lmao_

_Me: ( >3<)/_

I grumbled but dug out a granola bar before taking a bite out of it. Then I forgot I didn't peel off the wrapper and got a mouthful of plastic. I sighed and leaned against my seat before I realized we had slowed down considerably.

I looked outside and saw we had reached our destination. We all began to turn to the "Gate" as we entered Whistler Village. It had been a while, but I saw some nice pavements, arranged plants by the roads, and then as we got deeper and deeper; I realized we were here. I saw other busses and masses of students gathering around.

After some directions, we had appeared to have found our area and gradually, we all parked side by side.

Everyone got excited again as we had found our place before one of the teachers took the microphone.

"Alright students, we have arrived!"

Cheers erupted.

"Now, the plan is after we get off this bus and get our luggage, we will be given our accommodations. Once you've dropped off your stuff, you are to make your way to the foyer at 12:30pm before we will go together; where we have been invited to a feast. There after we get some food in our stomachs, an inviting speech that will happen that will explain everything." The doors opened before another teacher gave a nod.

"Alright students, be on your best behaviour and let's go!"

Immediately, everyone began to stand up and tried to get out of the bus as fast as we could. If we were stuck there any longer, my leg would've cramped.

As we climbed off the bus and got our luggage, I looked around. The place was well-built, and it looked like a resort of some sort. It was probably one of those nature resorts since we were pretty far away from the main city and there was even more trees all around. Mountains surrounded everywhere and overall, it was a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city; but designed so you weren't completely cut off from society.

I couldn't remember the last time I came to Whistler and my family never bothered to go due to the fact it was so far away and we weren't the type to participate in these kinds of activities. It didn't occur to me but I realized how odd it was.

While we weren't the only school here, it still must've costed a lot of money to rent out a huge chunk of the place; especially being a well-known resort.

There were a lot more shops here and the village part was true; as it provided amenities and the like, one could almost live here permanently.

I looked around in awe while we followed our teachers and guides. Eventually we stopped at the place we were sleeping at and were separated of based on our sex. I didn't know what was going on but seeing as I was on the bottom of the list, it would be some time before I was called and paired up with my roommate.

I pulled out my phone and had one ear open so I could hear when I was called.

_Me: Arrived at where I'm sleeping at. Just got to get to know who my roommate is and dump my stuff._

_Alex: The rest of us have our room keys and already dropped our stuff off. We're waiting to head off to the 'feast'_

_Me : Wow, must be nice to not be at the bottom of the list (=3=)_

_Alex: 😊_

_Hunter: I'm getting weird looks_

_Me: Wait what_

_Jayden: Someone figured out Hunter's last name and I think some of the staff are now treating him as if he's royalty 😉_

_Hunter: Shut up, it's weird and now my roommate now knows_

_Jayden: You could always request your own personal room_

_Hunter: That just makes it worse!_

_Me: How bad is it?_

_Hunter: I think the Old Man made some business deals here and some of the staff are related from his company. Now they're willing to take our luggage to our rooms and asking if I wanted an upgrade_

_Hunter: When I thought I could get away from the Old Man and everything_

_Me: Well..._

_Me: If they are from the company, they kind of have to treat you well or risk being fired_

There was no response for a bit before Hunter spoke again,

_Hunter: yeah_

_Hunter: I know_

_Hunter: It's just..._

_Hunter: Suffocating_

I didn't know what else to say that might cheer him up, so I did what I could.

_Me: Hey, at least we get to play around and maybe do some bicycling?_

_Me: Don't they have dirt biking or something?_

_Alex: I think you're thinking of mountain biking_

_Me: YEAH_

_Me: That one! :DDD_

_Jayden: We'll see if we can, but it would be fun_

_Jayden: It'll be alright man, at least we can get you to ask the staff for some extra stuff_

_Hunter: Like what?_

_Jayden: I dunno, maybe some nice room service? Or some off the books things 😉_

_Me: Oooh, like getting a jacuzzi!_

_Alex: or unlimited ice cream_

_Jayden: or getting the chefs to change the dinner menu into a breakfast menu_

_Hunter: How about I just_

_Hunter: Don't_

_Me/Alex/Jayden: Booooo_

_Hunter: >:)_

I gave a side smile and just shook my head, before I heard my name being called.

I got up and walked to the teacher who looked at her clipboard.

"So Kaitlyn," she said before looking at the board and me, "It looks like the person you were supposed to room with, isn't here due to familial reasons, you'll be rooming alone. Are you okay with that?"

I blinked in confusion before I spoke a little bit hesitant. "I guess?"

"Are you sure? Cause I can talk with someone to have you room together in threes?"

I just shook my head, "No, it's okay. I'll be fine on my own."

The teacher studied me for a moment before she nodded, "Okay, well you'll be close by with everyone and there will be a teacher on each floor; so if anything happens..."

In response, I gave a thumbs up, "Got it."

The teacher nodded and gave me my room key before I grabbed my stuff and followed the line of students. I entered the elevator that was filled with my fellow classmates.

I nodded to a few I recognized and flashed a smile before we slowly rose up the levels to our rooms.

I looked at what level I was supposed to stop at and saw the number "13". It looked like it was going to be a while. Gradually, one level after another, more of my classmates got off. By the time we reached our level, there was a handful of us.

Though it could be reasoned that we were the last handful that needed to be roomed. Lo and behold, as soon as we got to our level I could hear the buzzing sound of the others. Some were loitering around, waiting for others and so forth.

I started walking to where my room was and realized I was near the end.

When I finally reached my room, I inserted my room key and the familiar sounds of a whirr and the green light indicated I was in.

Pushing the slightly heavy door, I inspected my room. The design was rather what you expect; immediately to your side was the bathroom and closet, and further in there were two beds, a dresser with a large dresser and a TV resting on top. There was also a balcony with a desk and chair.

The interior decorating was very pretty too. Overall, not a bad place and it was free to boot.

I dumped my bags off to the side and quickly gathered some of my things before making my way back down. It was also pretty close to the time when we had to meet up for the feast too.

As I made my way to the elevator, I noticed the hallway was a lot quieter then before. Shoot, was I late?

Panic hit me, and I ran even faster down the hall (which I think wasn't allowed) either).

I must've been really distracted because I bumped down into something and nearly fell over.

I felt a hand? An arm catch me before I could fall forwards onto the carpet flooring when I lost my footing.

It took a bit to get my bearings before I was helped up onto my feet.

At that moment, the realization hit me that I didn't bump into something. I bumped into _someone._

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" I said, apologizing immediately.

"It's quite alright," said a cool yet charming voice. I looked and saw a well-dressed man in nicely fitted suit. The man before me seemed like he was in his late 20s or early 30s.

_His body was lithe, but I could see he was fit. He had platinum blond like hair that was longer that what I usually see in men with suits, but they were combed back to get a clean look. His skin was fair and his face was pointed. He had a charismatic smile and his eyes were a cool bluish-green._

_He wore a white dress shirt with a dark maroon vest; with a loosened black tie. His sleeves were rolled up and I could the hidden strength in his arms. He wore dark grey dress pants with dark brown shoes, and in his one arm he carried his jacket that matched the colour of his pants; looped over his arm._

"Are you alright? You seemed to be in a hurry" spoke the man before he un-looped his arm from my waist and I centered myself.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just... I think I'm late meeting my school group-" I stuttered.

"Ah, I did recall seeing some students in the lobby. I suppose you are part of them?" he said, giving a thoughtful smile.

"I believe so..." I said, a bit stammered.

This was awkward and not to mention that I had bumped into the guy earlier.

"Well don't stop at my account. There was no harm done" he said in a good-natured way.

"I'm so sorry for bumping into you" I said once more, my face burning up with embarrassment. I rubbed the back of my neck in nervousness.

I thought I saw the man narrow his eyes slightly, flashing to the movement of my hand on my neck, but it disappeared before I could make sure.

"It's fine, now hurry along. It won't be good if you were late" the man rumbled.

I nodded and quickly hurried-walked towards the elevator, not out of urgency like before, but out of embarrassment. I slammed my hand onto the elevator and immediately, it opened.

I rushed in and pressed the lobby number and when the elevators were closing, I noticed the man staring at me.

In my embarrassment, I didn't think to realize a few things.

One, that this floor should be full of only students.

And secondly, his face reminded me of Hunter, but his gaze matched the hard and calculating tone of Garrick Archibald. 


	17. Everything is better with food

I managed to get to the lobby on time and as a group, we all moved out. There was a mass of students being led by their teachers as well we were headed to the same destination. While there were groups of students who wore casual clothes, I also saw some private schools with their uniforms sticking out.

Now this had me wondering: were they all invited by our sponsor or the same donator? If that was the case, how much money were they spending? They must've been a big company if they were this generous.

I wasn't too sure how many people were here in general, but it appeared we were going to have our feast outside. The outside venue seemed big enough to hold these many students and some. There were tables set for people to sit at and those with lines of food. There were staff here and there, ready to cater to us rambunctious students. There was also decorations and I could see some stands that looked like promotional set-ups.

There was also a large stage set up and music was being performed by live players. I didn't dwell too much on it since my stomach protested.

We all made our way to the buffet table and grabbed our plates of food as we piled food onto our plates. I wasn't sure how much food was going to be around, but I put as much as I could before wandering around for a place to eat.

I luckily was able to find my friends as they seemed to have already arrived. I made my way over but with the bodies of students standing in my way, as well as protecting my food and drink, it proofed difficult.

I could feel someone sticking close to me and the unsettling feeling in my stomach returned. While I may have assumed it was my stomach being hungry, I looked and lo and behold, saw it was Jason.

He too had his own tray of food but he carried it with one hand like an expert waiter.

"Looks pretty jam-packed huh?" he said.

"Yeah..." I replied reluctantly.

"Come on, I'll help you out" he said and put himself forward.

We wedged our way through and even though I wanted to rebel, hunger won out in the end. I slowed down as much as I could without getting separated by the body of students and protecting my tray of food without getting knocked off.

The crowds parted like water and we were out of no time.

Alex was the first to see me as he had taken a bite from his sandwich. His violet eyes shined with recognition and excitement, but it quickly dimmed when he saw Jason.

As if noticing the drop in the mood, Hunter and Jayden turned from their chatter and saw what Alex was seeing. Immediately Hunter stood up and walked over as Jayden stood.

The two of us stopped a little before my group as Jason turned to me.

"Well, this is your stop."

"Thanks..." I responded reluctantly.

"It's not a problem, enjoy the event; I heard the director has some things planned for all of us" smiled Jason.

While his words seemed harmless, I saw the dark shadow over his eyes and I felt a shiver go through my back. I gripped my tray and tried to keep myself calm; I didn't want my powers to react to the situation right now.

Jason gave a nod to Hunter who gave back a glare, watching the former leave.

The latter looked at me with a myriad of messages across his face before we returned to the group.

My appetite seemed to die down a little because of Jason but hunger won out in the end. I scarfed my food as I listened and talked with my group of friends. What happened earlier slowly faded to the background, forgotten.

With the sun casting its rays onto us, paired with the warm weather, and a full stomach (in which I was glad to be able to get 2nds and 3rds),

Just as I was contemplating getting my 4th or some form of dessert, we heard the band end and there was a series of loud clapping. Then I saw someone walking onto the stage as the band re-adjusted their position, before a woman stood in front of the mic.

"Good Afternoon, everyone. My name is Blair, and welcome to Whistler!"

A bunch of cheers erupted, and I clapped out of politeness. My face didn't move as the smile of Blair unsettled me.

"Now, as you may know, this 3 day event was generously sponsored and is jampacked with activities and amenities; an exclusive event for all of you. We will also use this chance to test out new products and gather more data, before we release this to the mass public."

Blair, still smiling and nodding to the crowd before she spoke again.

"And before we send you kids out, with great pleasure, I'd like you all to listen to a word from our sponsor: Director Adam!"

Blair clapped and we all began to clap as this Director Adam made his way onto the stage. We watched as he walked out from the curtains and the screen above the stage came to life to give us a better view of him.

My eyes widened when I recognized the figure.

It was the guy that I bumped into earlier!

My face became flushed as embarrassment took over from the memory flashed in my mind.

Azalea looked over at me and she whispered, "You okay?"

I nodded and rubbed my face, hoping to ease the embarrassment away. "I bumped into him earlier at the hotel" I murmured.

She widened her eyes and gaped, and before she could say anything,

"Thank you Blair," said Director Adam before he flashed a smile which caused a bit of fluster.

"As you may now know, I am Director Adam of EDEN. We are a company with multiple sectors and we range from Health to even the most mundane of things," he explained as his eyes went over the entire crowd.

"This 3-day event will not only allow you all to have fun before you all depart for the Summer Break, but you will also provide valuable data for EDEN and more. So as a personal request: I would you all like you to enjoy and experience everything to your heart's content!"

As soon he cheered and gave a flashing smile, everyone cheered, and the crowds got even rowdier. I think I even heard some 'rock-concert boy band' level of screaming.

My ears caught the excited whispers from the girls, not because of the event, but because Director Adam played into the hot billionaire type.

Hype music began to slowly play and increase as Director Adam gave a few more of his final words.

"Thank you for coming and," I swore his eye gleamed and were focused right at me. He gave a slow smile with his eyes slightly lidded, _"We'll see each other quite soon."_

Then confetti shot out of nowhere and cascaded down. The crowds cheered and raised their hands to grab the balloons that were falling on top of them. Music picked up again and it almost felt like a mini rave.

People became active again and Director Adam had disappeared quietly.

Despite the positive atmosphere, my body was shaking, and the warm weather felt nothing against my now cold body. My lips became incredibly parched and I just sat there while the others went down to join the crowds.

While he seemed charismatic, something didn't seem right with him. There was also something about him that seemed unsettling familiar. What was it? I knew it was something that I was in contact with and I know I have seen that level of intensity from _somewhere_.

But where?

While I was deep in my clutch of unsettling emotions, I was brought out of my stupor when I saw Alex, Hunter, and Jayden made their way over. Each had their own balloon in hand, Alex with purple, Hunter with a grey/silver like colour, and Jayden with a green one.

I saw another balloon in Alex's hand, a white one, before he gave it to me.

"That was the only balloon we could get, everyone else went wild" said Alex while I took the balloon.

I smiled and bounced the balloon with my own hand, "it's okay, thanks."

Apparently, something seemed off because the next follow up was: "Are you okay?"

I stuttered and grabbed the balloon, fiddling with it before responding.

"I....yeah."

"You don't sound so sure" replied Alex as he sat next to me. He held his own balloon by its tail end, as it wobbled with the slightest breeze and motion.

I looked at Alex and then the others, "I just have a bad feeling."

There was a small moment of silence and while the cheering of the crowds were loud, they seemed to fade. I could only hear my blood pumping and the wind whistling in my ear.

I felt awkward from the situation and focused on the balloon in my hand. I turned it around and could hear something fluttering inside and I looked at it for real.

Time passed on as we dispersed. The next few hours my friends and I spent was going around enjoy what the event had to offer. We got try out some obstacle courses; one of them was made in design similar to a giant bouncy castle, and an actual obstacle course with airsoft guns- in which we had to pop a series of balloons.

We got really into it but the guys and I, were conscious not to get too into it. When we were playing; running through the field while gripping the airsoft gun, while keeping an eye out for the enemy teams so they wouldn't pop my balloons, I could feel my body thrumming with energy. My fingers were twitching and it was tough to suppress the electricity popping inside me.

By the end of day and stuffed with food, I walked into my assigned room. It was getting late. After dumping my things, I cleaned myself and slipped into my pajamas.

When I was lying on my back after finding a plug to charge my phone, my thoughts wandered.

 _'I guess I'll be fine if I forget to charge my phone, after all my power is electricity'_ I thought as I gripped my phone above my head.

I gripped my phone for a moment, as sparks of electricity flowed out and my phone that was 10% now jumped to 50% charged.

My eyes turned and saw the balloon from earlier sitting on top of the opposite bed. Setting my phone down, I grabbed the balloon.

I studied it and turned it around before bopping it upwards.

When it was mid-air, it popped.

I yelped and jumped at the sound as confetti that was once in the balloon, now fluttered down.

I held out my hand and several coloured pieces of paper fell into my palms.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, and more...


	18. Playing Hooky

The first day had passed and gone without an incident. I slept somewhat peacefully after trying to calm my nerves. Despite it being uneventful all things considering, there were some things of note that said otherwise.

First was my dream of a flashback of that day, the day when Alex's mother: Selena, had died. It was a long, _long_ time ago; back when I didn't know the weight of the situation until I was much older.

It took me years to piece it together due to my young age and my lack of understanding. Add in my amnesia and now the fact that supernatural powers exist, it made more sense.

And more daunting.

Piling onto my growing list of worries, there was also all the events beforehand. Like the mystery of why our powers exist and why us? The event that I lost my memories and all of our powers seemed to have gone dormant for years (excluding Alex who had been subtly using them), and the battles I've had so far.

There was also the mystery of why my friends had gone "feral" almost and had powers.

 _'Well...friend-wise, I wouldn't say Amanda is one...at least not anymore'_ I thought adding to what I thought.

However, they were still people I was close to.

Was I the target?

That didn't seem right; whether it was because I didn't want to be sole focus of someone's attention, but also why go all that trouble? If I was the sole focus; there were opportunities to do...whatever they wanted with me.

I tried to do my best to push the thought away to the back of my mind, since there was still things to do and enjoy. The second day was going uneventful in a good way.

I didn't get any of those weird gut feelings nor felt a chill down my back, like some ominous signs. We got to try a ton of things from food to activities, and products. We also got to listen to some live music and some stage performances.

Occasionally, the thoughts would pop up and my mood would dampen. I did my best to pull myself out of my stupor and enjoyed myself with my friends.

It was kind of hard to divide ourselves equally since the guys were with me along with the girls. So in all, it was a pretty large group.

The day was about to end eventful and uneventful for obvious reasons. When I was going to end the day with dinner and then just taking a nice bath before sleeping, Stella and the others made a change to my plans.

"Hey, so I heard there is a night time event," said Stella as she grinned.

I had a mouthful of mashed potatoes and looked owl-eyed.

I gave a muffled "Huh?" through cheeks full of said-mashed potatoes, my eyes glancing around the table.

"Yeah and tomorrow we go home, so we only have tonight to go" said Jessica, adding in to Stella's claim.

"That's nice and all, but what is it exactly?" asked Kalonice, while I swallowed down my lumps of mashed potato.

"It's a night party, everyone is invited but you have to find it first" explained Stella.

"So, kind of like a scavenger hunt" said Clara.

Jessica nodded, "Yeah, and I heard it's going to be great."

"Well, as long we get back here by curfew" said Azalea.

"That's the spirit!" smiled Stella.

I felt a bit nervous going out this late at night but technically there was still light out. And if anything happened, I'm sure we could handle it...

I got roped in because everyone else was going and with Stella and Jessica...I didn't know if something fishy was happening. The hopeful part of me that it was going to be fine and it was going to be fun, but at the same time...

The back of my neck burned, and I tried my best to ignore it.

As planned, after dinner, we all made our way to our rooms to get cleaned up a bit before we met outside again. Despite it being summer and warm, the night would be bring its chill so I dressed for that in mind.

I grabbed what I needed and before I left the room, I thought of something. I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Alex before joining the others.

We left our hotel and we talked along the way. Since Jessica and Stella were the only ones who knew the place, we followed behind them. It took us a bit but I was pretty sure it was the architecture and how everything could easily become twisty due to the enormous grounds that was Whistler itself.

I looked up at the sky and saw the blue sky dimming before it began to turn into the familiar swatches of orange and pink as it turned into sunset. The lamplight were on and businesses were still open; bars and restaurants filled with people.

Our feet walked across the brick covered roads and eventually made our way into a forest. As we got deeper and deeper, some part of me became uncomfortable as we had been walking for a while.

There was nothing around that indicated of a party, and it didn't seem like it was going to be the type of party I was thinking of.

We were nearing a clearing when I noticed that the atmosphere around was getting darker. I looked up confused and realized there was still light out.

I was still confused and then I realized what was going on.

"Stella, Jessica," I called out causing our group to stop.

Everyone looked at me as I slowly inched backwards, the hairs on my body rising.

"What's going on" I asked eerily calm. My body was starting to shake and my throat was becoming dry.

Azalea and the others gave me a look of confusion, but they looked at Stella and Jessica who still had their backs towards us.

There was no answer for a few seconds before I couldn't help it. I had an 'Oh-no' moment and I only had a moment to respond.

Electricity poured out of me and everyone except Stella and Jessica looked at me in shock. Words were about to fly when Stella and Jessica turned around.

Jessica had her fists ablaze with the same dark fire from before and I shot at her. She screamed as she flew back over Stella and rolled, electricity dancing off her. I could tell her body was spasming when I delivered an electrical shock but I didn't see the attack Stella let out instead.

The wind within me was knocked out and I could hear screaming and other words. I flew back and was pushed forwards on the ground. I slammed my fists against the dark matter against me and struggled to get free.

"What the hell?!" cried out Clara as I struggled to see what was going on.

Stella had her hand clawed out and I knew that look. She gave a sneer before she lifted her hand up; lifting me up from the ground. I could feel the increasing pressure around me and I felt my airway being constricted bit by bit.

My body was being lift, and I kicked my feet when it left the ground, as if I could pull myself back to the Earth.

I gripped the shadow grip on me and my eyes trailed to the source of the arm. There was a small veil of space between Stella's arm and this arm but they were definitely connected.

' _Shadow constructs?'_ I thought to myself while trying to breathe.

I clawed at the shadow grip Stella had on me as Jessica was still spasming from my earlier attack.

I looked at Azalea and the others with confusion, shock, and fear crossing their faces.

"R...Run" I groaned out and felt Stella grip me harder. I gawked out a yell but nearly choked on my own spit.

"Silence" said Stella, her voice echoing into itself.

"Why...?" I struggled to ask.

If I couldn't fight, I was at least wanted answers.

Stella shrugged and walked towards me, stalking almost.

"It's nothing personal, Kai" she explained, "These are merely orders."

 _'Orders? From who?'_ I thought. I could see my vision blackening but that may be the shadows Stella was controlling or it was literally becoming dark into the night.

"Ha, you had to gone this much trouble for little ol' me?" I joked.

Stella gave a small huff of laughter before she was only a few feet from me.

"Originally it was going to be a lot simpler. If Amanda had actually done her job, which surprisingly resisted the idea of getting help to fight you, but I'm glad you gave a fight," said Stella before she gestured to Jessica.

"Because of your resistance and your awakening of powers, Jessica was awakened and thus I, and now?"

Stella lifted her other hand as if beckoning and out of the shadows, was a 4-D shadowy figure that was similar to Stella. It resembled her and mimicked her movements.

"Cool right? Right now it can only mimic me but soon, I was told it would be used as my own servant. Doing what I want and need," she said excitedly. "What you saw me do in the beginning was only the tip of the iceberg."

"Who told you that?" I asked, my face slowly reddening from lack of airflow. My thought process was hindered but I think I could piece it together.

Someone similar like Stella, someone who was more experienced was behind this.

"You'll see, we have to answer his orders and when we complete them, he'll teach us more! But first, we have to awaken the others and be enlightened" said Stella and she turned the others.

My eyes widened in fear as it took all of my breath and screamed, "RUN!!"

Azalea and the others were blown back and Kalonice ran when she grabbed the others' hands.

Stella let out a distasteful sound and she shot out her other hand. Another shadowy arm shot out and smacked against Kalonice back, ricocheting of her and sent the taller girl flying. This caused Kalonice to fling Azalea and Clara forward and into Jessica's line of sight.

I fought harder to get out of the grip and I tried to summon the energy within me to break out. I let out a shock of energy and Stella hissed but tried to focus on Kalonice. I kicked and threw energy bolts at Stella; distracting her.

This proved fruitful because Stella rounded at me and then in a fit of frustration, threw me higher and I was thrown back by the arm.

I yelled out in pain when I was thrown down into the ground and my teeth CLINKED against each other. My head throb as pain fired off everywhere.

I groaned but struggled to get back up and my legs shook with pain. I saw Stella stalking over and I let out a "No, don't" when I saw Jessica grab Clara and Azalea by their arms.

They tried to break free, but they couldn't with Jessica's strong grip.

Stella lifted her hand and something swirled in her palm; producing a dark, whimsy sphere. Kalonice got up and faced Stella to fight back (hopefully), but a shadow arm gripped her.

Stella lifted the sphere towards Kalonice and placed it onto her chest. Kalonice let out a yell as the sphere disappeared within her.

There was a small burst of light but then it darkened as if being swallowed, then darkness crawled over her. It disappeared into her as Kalonice was absorbing them and I felt that deep gut in my stomach again.

Kalonice went limp and then Stella let her grip go from her.

I widened my eyes as Kalonice lifted her head up and then lifted her hand up. The wind began to pick up rapidly and I gasped in shock as I could see the air condensing into Kalonice's palm.

Hair, leaves, branches were floating and being pulled into Kalonice's palm and then throwing it up, the ball of air flew up and exploded. It sent a gust of wind everywhere and I tried not to fall back down. I pushed against the wind, my powers kicking in once more, but I wasn't making any headwind.

First, I was cut from air and now I had too much air.

Great.

Kalonice looks towards me as she nodded to Stella and Jessica. They nodded back as Stella repeated her actions and I widened my eyes. I pushed harder and re-directed my energy into my legs.

I was making more ground, but the wind was still pushing me back.

Azalea and Clara were protesting but their pleas were disregarded as Stella planted the spheres within them. They too had that ominous bestowal and then they too went limp. I could see the shadowy aura radiating of them and then, they too looked up.

Jessica released her grip on them as Clara walked forwards. She lifted her leg and stomped it into the ground, and I felt the ground beneath me rumble. The intensity increased as the vibrations went towards me and I staggered.

The next thing I knew, I was being lifted upwards by heaved earth and I tried to steady myself. I was flying towards them as Azalea brought her spread out arms together. Water collected with them and a stream of water shot out at me.

I widened my eyes, but I was prepared.

I bent myself to launch myself and my body was now running with energy. I shot through the electricity as it traveled through the water stream as Azalea screamed.

I winced and felt bad at hurting my friend, but these were matters I couldn't avoid now. Azalea fell back, and I landed on the ground.

I looked up and saw that I was outnumbered.

By my own friends who had now fallen and were now after me.

I had two options: Run or fight my friends. 


	19. When it comes down to it,

I ran.

Like lightning fast.

After seeming I was going to attack and throwing a ball of lightning, I only flashed them. That's when I made my exit.

I couldn't run back where I came because that would directly lead me back to the public and I didn't know if the others were conscious enough not to attack people.

So I just ran deeper into the forest.

As I hid in the mass of trees and shrubbery, and I could hear the others running after me when Stella yelled "AFTER HER!"

Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and I was trying to figure a plan. I had no backup and while I could contact the others, it would take some time to track me down with no prior knowledge of the location; I also needed to make some considerable distance to call the others without being attacked or it would be all for naught.

I kept weaving between trees and jumping over any obstacles. With the added adrenaline and my powers working in over time, my jumping power had grown considerably.

Like my instinct was going off, I could sense someone coming at me from the side and I looked just in time to see Jessica charging at me.

I jumped back to miss a fiery fist and was surprised at how high I had jumped. It was like a couple of feet, but it was a good thing too because when Jessica's fist made contact, it flared up. The heat of the fire brushed against my hair and I faintly smelt something burnt.

Even if I had jumped normally, I would've still be caught by the firing range.

I was about to collide with the tree and my hand shot out. My hands covered in electricity dug into the surface of the strong bark and I had to adjust my footing.

Looking down in surprise and making eye contact with Jessica below, as I was now hanging off the tree like a squirrel.

Without dwelling too much, I jumped from tree to tree; missing the fireballs launched at me. I looked back in fear the fire would cause a forest fire, but my fears were put to rest. The intensity of the fireballs diminished when they were thrown, so when they came into contact with the trees, they were practically nothing. Good thing it wasn't the dry season yet either.

' _So Jessica's powers are only strong when it's a direct hit'_ I thought as I left a cursing Jessica in the dust.

Stella, at this point, with her powers of Darkness (as ironic as it sounds), had good control but she too, could only use a direct method.

Jessica, contrary to her kickboxing background, was probably incorporating her powers with her martial arts techniques. So using range attacks, like the fireballs, were lacking in said-firepower.

The two of them sounded liked they had powers for a bit, but not for long, so this could be classified as a new development. Which met the time I first fought against the two of them, it was a relatively new development.

The others though, their powers seemed rather obvious.

Kalonice had the power of air, which seemed pretty powerful from her first demonstration. There was Clara, reminded me of Jayden, so it was safe to say her powers had something to do with the Earth. Then there was Azalea, who had the power of Water.

Wait...Darkness, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electricity...

"The power of Elements?" I gawked out loud and lost my footing because of my dumbfounded realization.

I was free-falling, and the ground was approaching fast, my hand shot out and I was clawing down the bark of the tree.

I was slowly down and close my eye to prevent the flying splinters from blinding me. Eventually, my feet felt the earth and I gasped out several times. My heart was beating against my chest and my feet were cold from the fall.

I looked at the tree and I winced when I saw the deep grooves going down the tree.

Like that wasn't obvious. Nope, not at all.

I struggled to remove my hand away and when I did, I flexed my muscles a bit.

 _'If this is the case, then this'll be a lot simpler to deal with. There's the basic five elements, no wait, that's the Chinese Elements. This is follows the Western elements...'_ I thought while catching my breath as I sat behind the tree.

Blood was pumping in my ears but I could still tell the space around me was quiet of any unnatural sources. So for now, I could breath.

If we were going with game logic, Water was effective against fire, Earth was effective against Water, Air...wait this wasn't a game, this was reality.

That kind of logic wouldn't work in this case. Sure, some of the attributes would be effective against each other but there was also reality to consider. There were also other things to consider like how strong they were, their skills...

Then there was the ultimate question: How was I supposed to get them back to their regular selves?

Even if I subdued them, I needed to reverse the process that Stella did to Kalonice, Azalea, and Clara. And once that was done? Was Stella and Jessica the same? Was Stella the problem? What if I had to-

No, that was never an option.

First, I need to get Alex, Hunter, and Jayden. I was outnumbered, and this was out of my control.

With a new plan, I stood up and was about to grab my phone out when I heard a rustle. My ears perked up at the noise and I got defensive.

But it was all too late.

Out of the trees and shadows, everyone came at me at once.

I went to move but a powerful gust of wind hit me as the ground beneath me shook, sending me backwards and then the next thing I knew, shadows gripped me, and I felt a burning sensation on my arm.

I cried out in pain and tried to fight but I was pinned. I looked around and saw all my possessed friends leering down at me with an eerie look.

I growled and I tried to think, but then I saw a figure walking out of the darkness. Literally.

The shadows seemed to concentrate and were condensed together; folding within each other before I saw the figure appear. I widened my eyes and as if Azalea had dumped cold water on top of me, my gut dropped heavier then it had ever before.

My body shook and my mouth felt like lead, but I was able to say one word:

"Jason?"

The figure in front of me smiled and then every interaction I ever had with him; the uncomfortable feelings; his words- they all sudden made sense.

"You...you were behind everything" I said.

Jason clapped his hands and chuckled, running his hand through his hair.

"It was quite challenging, I would have to say. When I first met you again, I thought the whole act towards me was a feint. But after some time? You truly did forget your memories and 'lost' you powers!"

 _'what did he mean by 'again'?'_ I thought, before I spoke out, "Why my friends then?"

Jason gestured to Jessica and Stella, in an almost exasperated way. "These two were easy. With everything at my disposal, it was easy to entice them and have them work for me. Of course, they did fight back but well..." Jason lifted his palm up and held out the same kind of dark sphere Stella had made. "I can be very convincing"

The only difference was his hand was now coated in this icky dark substance and it seemed...poisonous. Jason saw me staring at his hand and then I looked at his face to see his eyes turning black.

"I thought it was going to be a lot faster with Amanda being a perfect pawn in what I wanted, but _of course_ , you had to remember and activate your powers once more. Then you had me change my tactics and rework my hard work. I had thought of Alex, or one of your boyfriends-"

Rage hit me and I tried to launch myself forward at Jason. There was a crack of electricity that snapped, and I heard Azalea or someone yelp. Stella and Jessica stumbled but they held their ground and I was so close to biting off Jason's nose off. There was a roaring sound in my ears as I growled.

Jason looked at me seemingly unimpressed but also slightly irked.

"- but unfortunately, Hunter and Jayden have different plans. As for Alex...well, you'll are going to be an essential piece for me to make his life miserable."

I widened my eyes as Jason grabbed my neck; choking me almost, while lifting my head upwards. My neck exposed, I was also being lifted upwards and I struggled, using my powers. But I felt a sensation of burning ice spread from Jason's hold and I cried out, my powers weakening.

Jason held the sphere towards my chest and I felt it. It was like something was burrowing it's way inside me, clawing; digging; melting it's way. It spread out like ice but burned all the same. I felt like I was drowning with water pressuring within me. My nerves begun to become numb but awake at the same time and I felt like I was having an out of body experience.

Things became darker and as I was slipping, I saw it.

That dream.

_Kai stood in the great, black and white halls. The sky of aether stood above her but also below her. The ground that was now covered with the black and white tiles were now broken with large gaps of the void beneath her. Kai stood on a white tile as if she was a chess piece._

_She looked around and saw the banners darkening with several of the figures missing. The black door in front of her was now wide open, the darkness reaching out._

_Gravity and the world around her changed as she fell into the chasm within the door._

_Kai fell and was falling deeper and deeper. The darkness whispered to her and curled around her and she felt sleepy._

_"I'll just sleep here..." she said out loud._

_Kai looked up and saw the disappearing white door. She thought what it was and when she was about allow the dark doors close, a small dot appeared out of the bright light._

_The white door had opened its door, leaking light and blasted itself into the dark doors; ridding of the darkness within. Kai slowly awakened out of her stupor and saw Alex reaching his hand out to her._

_"Kai!" yelled out Alex._

_[Kai]_ widened her eyes and growled as _[she reached her hand out to Alex, grabbing his hand,]_ light poured out of me as I summoned all the power I had.

 ** _"WHAT?"_** yelled Jason as an explosion of light occurred and tendrils of electricity shot out. The hold of Stella and Jessica was ripped away from me as Jason was thrown back as well.

I got up shakily exhausted while wiping my mouth with my sleeve. I gave a seething look at Jason; who looked at his hand to see the sphere gone and his fair skint one of his hand returning.

Jason looked at me angrily as he got back up, yelling.

"You...Get her! No mercy!"

Everyone else charged and I got ready to hold me ground. But then all of a sudden, Hunter and Jayden appeared out of nowhere.

Hunter threw a chain that moved like a snake and whirled around Stella before Hunter flung her at Kalonice. The two collided and flew off to the side, while Jayden had summoned a barricade of earth; blocking me away from the others. I heard the ground shuffling and heard a crack of earth when I heard Jessica yell in pain.

There was so much going on but I was too tired to move from my place on the ground, so I couldn't see past the barricade Jayden had set up. I could only guess what was going around me through my ears.

I saw the shadows rise and my tired body barely moved to get away. When I was about to accept my fate, there was this big flash of light.

It light up the night and the place we were in, providing more visual. The shadows seemed to shriek from the light and disappeared. There was screaming from the burst of light and then there was also cursing from Hunter and Jayden; but out of annoyance.

I heard a long string of curses from Jason and I think he was being more susceptible from the light.

I heard hurried footsteps and out of the light, appeared Alex who was kneeling in front of me. 


	20. Make or Break

"Alex?" I coughed out, groaning.

I felt the all familiar cool yet soothing feeling and the faint sensation of my body warming up, the pain and tiredness washed away.

I could feel myself recovering and feeling back to my old self.

"Thanks" I muttered to Alex who helped me up.

"You're stupid" he chided at me.

"Yeah, I know" I scoffed back; ignoring the commotion behind us.

"You okay?"

"As much as I can be."

"So," Alex asked before producing an energy bar and giving it to me, "What's going on?"

I took giant bites and explained the situation. Alex listened and between my bites of food, he turned around or got up with his hands blazing with light; shooting flashes of light and chasing the shadows away.

I could faintly hear Hunter and Jayden chatting with each other, as well as edging Jason on.

"So long story short, Jason brainwashed Stella and Jessica; giving them dark shadowy powers but not really, and Stella did the same thing to Azalea, Kalonice, and Clara" I finished, dusting my hands off crumbs.

After taking the juice box from Alex (which he came prepared luckily since I was famished), he knelt in front of me. "This won't be easy" he said.

"You think?" I responded back sarcastically.

Alex rolled his eyes but he took several deep breathes, "This is nuts."

"Quite."

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

With that, I got up with hands ablaze before I slammed my hands together. Thunder cracked and created a large BOOM! The resounding shock created a shockwave that pushed everything in it's way down.

Hunter and Jayden had hit the deck with Jason disappearing into the shadows. Stella and Jessica felt backwards and the other three were down for the count.

Jason reappeared half out of the shadows and gave me a look of utter disdain before he pulled himself back out fully. He rose his arms like he was lifting something heavy and out of the shadows, wolves out of shadows appeared.

They charged, and the light Alex had created had dimmed since then. Stella, Jessica, and Kalonice charged as Hunter, Jayden, and I charged back.

I fought against Stella, my arms and legs coated with electricity; Stella mimicking me as well. We launched our fists together and all I could say that it was like we moved according to our element.

Stella moved fluidly like a Shadow, wispy and silent, but still ominous all the same.

My moves were fast but they cracked with volatile. Every time we came into contact and launched any attacks, they collided and almost seemed poetic.

The shadow wolves Jason would try to get in a bite and I swore they changed into a humanoid shape; the tendrils of my electricity lashing out.

Through my peripheral vision, I could see Jayden and Hunter working together to fight against Kalonice and Jessica. Earth and Metal V.S. Air and Fire.

Last time I saw, they were holding their ground (almost quite literally) well enough so my worries were curbed a little.

I saw something incoming and I barely missed it, when a wolf came charging at me. It razed a bit of my shoulder and I hissed. I kicked it to the side and it yelped before disappearing into nothingness.

I took several back steps and was near the wall of earth again, where I could see Alex working on Azalea and Clara; who were both unconscious. Alex's hands moved as if he was clawing something out, while glowing bright with light. The light made it so I could barely see his deep, concentrated face.

But what caught my attention and brought some hope, was what looked like dark smoke emitting out of Azalea and Clara.

Sweat dotted Alex's face and I held my stinging shoulder. It was bleeding but while tempting to have Alex heal it, if I asked though, it would break his concentration. What mattered at the moment was that Alex undid whatever Stella did to the two of them, and if it worked? We could undo the work on everyone else.

_Besides, it wasn't that bad...was it?_

So I went forward. I went back into the fray; apparently, we were winning because I heard a yell and we all looked to see Kalonice and Jessica go down.

I heard Jason yell "No!" and Stella charged at me. Her arm grazed my other arm and I hissed in pain but managed to roll away.

I then saw Jason and Stella create a large dome of shadow rose from the ground. It began to envelope Kalonice, Jessica, Stella, and Jason and it was my turn to say "No!"

I charged in blazing and electricity lashed out. It hit the dome, almost denting it as it caved in like rubber . The shadows swallowed the electricity and the dome started to close in on itself.

Repeatedly hitting the dome and I pushed back as hard as I could, trying to break the dome. The dome sucked in as much of my electricity and then it seemed to leak out light? Cracks formed all over the dome, leaking out light and I felt a drop in my stomach.

Then all of a sudden it exploded, creating this wave of pressure going outwards and I was thrown back. I could feel the wind within me being knocked out and I felt the ground hit me.

Tumbling and rolling, I realized I was heading in a certain direction before I felt arms wrap around me. They held onto me and I could feel someone drape themselves over me; using themselves as a shield before the lights around us when dark for a moment.

The smell of earth and spices hit me and before I could think of before I heard a rumble and then something crumbling. I held onto Jayden as we all hit the ground. My heartbeat and breath was laboured in tandem alongside Jayden.

There was a moment of silence and I could hear someone counting down before the grip on me loosened. I was lying flat on the ground when my vision cleared. There above me was Jayden who seemed exhausted and his green eyes looked at me closely.

"You...alright?" he asked finally.

I nodded a few times, not trusting my voice at the moment.

Jayden nodded before he got up. He extended a hand towards me and I took it, being pulled up easily.

I looked around and gosh, it looked we had demolished the place.

The entire ground was upheaved and disturbed. Rocks were everywhere. Some of the trees were either tilted or the trunks had snapped; scattering branches and splinters. And as far as I could see, Jason, Stella, and Jessica were gone.

I turned behind me and saw the wall of earth gone, but there I saw (thankfully) my friends.

Alex was lying face down onto the ground, his arms covering Azalea and Clara; who were still unconscious. Hunter had covered himself as much as possible over Kalonice; but she was rather tall, so he could only cover half of her.

Alex raised his head up and groaned; blinking blearily around before he got up.

"Alex!" I called out and jogged over to him.

Reacting to my voice, Alex got up to his feet and turned to me. I held out my arms and we both enveloped each other in a comforting hug.

"You alright?" I asked while still hugging.

I could feel Alex nodded and rub my shoulder whilst doing that, when he answered. "Tired but otherwise, good."

"Good" I said, before I let him go.

We all looked around and heard a groan, and I turned to Hunter who was now sitting on the ground. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a huge sigh.

"Hunter!" I called out before going over to him.

Hunter looked at me, gave me a grin and a raise of his hand before continuing to catch his breath.

"Man, that was wild" he commented.

I sat on my hunches and let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah...you could say that again."

Hunter regarded me for a moment before giving me an accusing finger, "Why do the crazy things happen with you first? You really got to stop doing that."

I let out an exasperated huff and rolled my eyes, "If only."

Hunter shook his head but seemed otherwise relieved.

The feeling was mutual as I gave a smile out of relief. I got to my feet and held my hand out to Hunter who took it. Pulling him up, we both gathered our surroundings. Whatever happened here, there wasn't much left to say.

Other than the entire area looked devastated, I can only wonder how we were going to cover it up. I saw Alex kneeling over Kalonice before he had his hands hover over her. I watched his hands take on a soft bluish-green glow.

"This might take a minute or so" said Alex without a lapse in concentration.

"Kai, you stay here and check on your friends. Me and Jayden will look around," said Hunter.

I squeezed his hand and looked him in the eye. "Be careful" I said.

Hunter returned the gesture by squeezing my hand back, before reassuring me. "I...we will. Don't worry."

 _'When you tell me not to worry, it doesn't mean I'll stop immediately'_ I thought as I watched Hunter go up to Jayden. They talked for a moment before going together to scout the area. I can only imagine that they were going to see if they could find any traces of Stella and the others.

I turned away and walked up to Azalea and Clara.

Other then looking they were scuffed up, they didn't seem too worse for wear. I guess Alex had also healed them a bit, but hopefully their injuries were small since they looked fine. Their chests were rising and falling rhythmically, so that was good. I looked at them and then to Kalonice, then back to them.

An uneasy feeling rose in my chest and I felt sick to my stomach. I looked away from my friends and stared at the night sky. My eyes scanned the stars and found the moon looming over us.

I felt slightly at ease and sighed. I rested my bum on the crumbling wall of earth and rubbed my face with my hands.

 _'I'm so sorry'_ I thought to my friends. Because of me and the mess I was in, they had gotten roped in and gods know what else was going to come afterwards. Azalea, Clara, and Kalonice were unconscious and were brainwashed; which we didn't know afterwards if they were still awakened with powers or not. Then there was also Stella and Jessica.

They were either still brainwashed or their unconscious desires were brought forward, and this _is_ their true selves.

That thought made the pit in my stomach even worse. And what's worse? They were like this for a while and because of me. While I wasn't aware, I knew I should've looked into it more when Stella and Jessica first appeared.

Then there was Jason.

Gods.

Now I know why. Why I felt unsettled around him. He felt familiar but not in a good way.

_Peering through the darkness within the doors, Kai could see an outline of a figure. Was it the same figure as before, she wasn't sure. The form reminded Kai of a small child and as she got closer she could make out the figure's features. It had short blond hair with the brightest blue eyes and a grin._

The dream...

_Electricity was coursing around me and I looked at the screaming boogeyman._

_He seemed to be in pain but I didn't seemed to care...or was it because I didn't know what I had done? Then I saw the door was open._

_I thought was Alex standing there but it wasn't._

_It was another boy._

_The boogeyman didn't seem to pay attention to the boy before he advanced towards us. I stood up and I felt Selena pull against my small clothes._

That fateful day when Selena died...

 _'No, it couldn't be_ ' I thought, my legs rising on their own. I could feel my eyes being blown wide open and my heart hammered against my chest again.

_"It took you a while, Kai"..._

_"It was quite challenging, I would have to say. When I first met, I thought the whole act towards me was a feint, but in reality? You truly did forget your memories and 'lost' you powers!"..._

Jason's words...

I felt dizzy and I slapped my hand over my forehead. My mouth felt dry and I closed them so I wouldn't break Alex's concentration. My lungs were becoming more erratic in breathing and I had to cover my mouth so I wouldn't try to cry out.

I knew Jason. From that time. I knew him all the way back when Selena had died. He was related to the Boogeyman. No wonder Jason acted like he knew me. His words... Was this revenge? Revenge against me? Selena? Alex?

This was starting to make sense but...then, that means the Boogeyman really did exist. Then Selena's death was connected to Jason. We were all connected. But how?

**_HOW?!_ **

I looked at Alex.

I couldn't tell him. Not yet. Not right now.

I heard footsteps behind us and I turned to see Jayden and Hunter returning back. They were talking amongst themselves and didn't seem out of place. I took several breathes and gathered my wit.

I had to tell them anyways.

"Kai?"

I looked and saw Jayden's concerned face.

"You alright...? You look shaken up."

It took a second, but I gave a smile and laughed it off.

"Of course I'm shaken up! After all this? How could I not be shaken up with all that has happened? It's been all a bit overwhelming" I confessed. _'Not a lie, but not the whole truth either.'_

Jayden and Hunter gave a visible sign of relief and I felt bad in that moment.

I didn't have a moment to wallow anymore when I heard some groans. I turned to the source and saw Kalonice blinking bleary and Clara and Azalea waking up.

"What's going on?" they asked. 


	21. To Atone

After getting everyone comfy (well as much as we could), I did my best to explain to Azalea, Clara, and Kalonice.

Jayden had erected some earth structures for us to sit around and created a fire-pit. Alex and Hunter gathered some pinecones and sticks so we could make a fire. It was silent but I'd imagine it was more of one half of us absorbed and tired, and the other half of them just watching us make a campfire out of nothing.

After lighting some pine cones on fire as the fire starters, I tossed them in the fire-pit Jayden had created and Alex and Hunter begun to pile on the sticks.

Jayden was exhausted and sat on his stone bench, while I was left up to explain to the three. It was also because out of everyone, I had the most connections.

"So what do you remember?" I asked. My voice came out tired and almost exasperated. I could feel myself slipping due to exhaustion but I had to keep myself awake. 

I could feel the warmth of the fire growing stronger and warmed up my tired body. My legs and arms throbbing from the overuse and they let out the occasional spasm. The light of the fire also helped make things less dreary and literally gave us light in the darkness.

My friends looked at each other confused and unsure and I knew their answer right there and then.

"All I remember was...we were following Stella and Jessica... we ended up here and then..." said Clara finally.

"Then?"

"It shouldn't be possible" laughed Clara. Uneasily.

"Then what Clara?" I asked, my voice awfully monotone.

Clara seemed to be put on the spot but still answered.

"Then Jessica seemed to combust in fire but she wasn't burning...it looked like she was controlling it. Then you shot out electricity, the shadows moved out of Stella and then we...We-" Clara seemed to stutter as it caught up to her.

"Then we...whatever Stella did to us" said Kalonice.

Azalea was silent but her face said everything.

I stared at them, blinked once or twice, before I lifted my hand. The three watched me unclench my hands slowly and electricity danced out of my palm.

Their eyes were blown wide open and I saw the guys ready to get up, in case the three bolted. I brought up my other hand and brought them together before creating tendrils of electricity between them.

I slowly cupped my palms together and looked at them.

"It's all true" I said finally.

"How..."

I sighed and deactivated my powers. I ran my hands through my hair and took in a deep breath. "I'll try my best to explain" I said before launching into what I could.

It wasn't the best explanation/ tutorial I could give but my own mind was messed up from everything. I told them about my amnesia, how I got it and revealing the scar on the back of my neck, then about the weird feeling I had of Jason, then the incident with Amanda, Jessica, Stella, and eventually leading up to here.

I filled in whatever blanks I could, giving off a lot of speculations, but that's all we had to go from. I left out the confrontation with Hunter's grandfather, Garrick, since Hunter was here and I didn't know how to make of it either.

By the end of my exposition, my lips were quivering, and I had to take several deep breathes. I could only see confusion and daunt on my friends' faces. Hunter, Jayden, and Alex had helped fill in the missing holes and that only confirmed my suspicions.

There was silence and the crackling of fire echoed in the forest.

After playing with my hands, I sighed.

"Look...I'm not sure what's going on either. I don't have the answers but right now, I have no choice to accept it. Stella and Jessica are still out there and Jason poses a threat. There are some stuff I need to take care of. Whatever you guys want to do it, please don't..."

My words trailed off and I didn't know what else to say. _'Please don't do anything dangerous? Please don't forget? Don't abandon me?'_

I didn't know what to say and I felt myself going frustrated. My fingers twitched nervous energy, and I got up.

"I need a minute" I confessed.

"Kai-" called out Alex.

" _A minute_ " I stressed out and walked off into the forest. I was still close enough to see them but still far enough to have my musing.

I only took a few steps away, but I could already see the girls talk to themselves and as much secrecy as they could.

The boys gave them some privacy and were talking amongst themselves as well.

 _'You could at least be more subtle about it_ ' I thought and tried not to feel hurt by their actions.

I leaned against a tree and crossed my arms over my chest. I closed my eyes to slow down my breathing.

I wish this was over. Why was this happening? What was going to happen? After this was all over, if things were resolved peacefully in the end, what happens next? Would I lose my friends?

While I was musing in my scenarios, I heard a rustling. I felt a spark off to the side and I only had a moment before I could react, and when I did, I realized I had created a knife out of electricity.

An electrical construct?

Then I realized who I blocked the attack from.

"Jason" I spat out angrily.

Jason gave a huff and I only had a moment to see him wielding a sword made of solid...shadows? I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over me with the realization.

If I hadn't blocked it, especially with this weapon I had just created, what would've happened?

I didn't have long to dwell before I kicked at Jason. He avoided it and I took a step back. I held my knife and I concentrated my energy into my knife. I imagined it growing, extending, and then...I watched the knife extend forward and then I felt it's shape change. The next thing I knew I was wielding a spear.

I gave it a twirl and I could hear the electricity cut through the air. I looked at Jason who seemed to be in shock but that was quickly masked over. He readied his sword and I took a shuddering breath.

It had been a while, but I hopes it was enough. I readied my feet and lowered my hunches, keeping low to the ground, and held my spear over my head, and downwards. I readied my grip and at that moment Jason charged. I lifted my spear up and down to do deflect, block, and strike.

We fought, and our actions resembled our element. My movements were fast and had power between them, but Jason's shadows moved in wisps and seemed to be there already. I tried not to change my leg position, but I didn't know how much of the blunt of the attacks I could take.

I remembered I had used a Chinese spear before but I never had to use it in an actual combat before. Learning and applying into real situations was very different.

It was kind of bizarre using a weapon that weighed something but not the weight you expected it to be.

I tried to push these thoughts away to be in the moment but how Jason was moving, and fighting was also distracting. He kept going in and out and my eyes would slide off because he seemed to fade and disappear.

And then it made it all sense.

This revelation was made when I found an opening and in the moment, I slid the staff part of my spear, deflecting the blade of the sword, and Jason flattered due to the change in momentum.

He slid downwards and with how my spear was moving, the blade slid across him.

Fear hit me and then there was my own shock. The spear pierced through and then it went across him; cutting him in half.

I thought I had killed Jason but then my brain caught up. The spear went through him like nothing. It slid across like nothing. And there was no blood...just darkness?

Realization hit me when I saw Jason's body hit the ground and disappeared into the darkness. I turned and ran back to the others and heard screaming. I poured energy into my legs and launched myself.

I barely got there in time as I stabbed a shadow beast. It howled, and I twisted my spear and dug forward. I tried to shake me off, but I held on for dear life and poured more electricity. Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Kalonice holding her hands forwards blowing gusts of air to hold it back with Hunter and Jayden behind her. They were on the ground and seemed to be nursing their wound.

The beast let out one more howl and crumbled away. I landed on the ground, heaving for breath, and then I looked around.   
Where was Alex? Where was Azalea and Clara?

"KAI!"

My head snapped towards the sound and saw a large mound of shadows pulling Alex back into it and I saw Azalea and Clara getting swallowed.

"ALEX!" I screamed, my feet already moving after them, "AZALEA! CLARA!"

I ran forward and Alex was trying to break free with his powers. His lights kept going off, but they were being swallowed. Alex held out a hand towards me and I jumped, reaching out.

_'CLOSE...SO CLOSE!'_

I thought.

"Kai!" Alex gasped and our fingers grazed each other. I let out a relieved smile and we both fought we had each other and then I felt something punch my stomach. I spat out saliva and pain rang through me, until I was soaring through the air.

"KAIIIII" called out Alex before he was swallowed into the darkness. I looked at my stomach and saw a tendril of a shadow before I fell backwards towards the ground.

I watched through the sky as I saw the thing take Alex, Clara, and Azalea through the woods. I looked down and saw the ground fast approaching. I twirled my spear downwards and sent a force to counter my fall, slowing me down.

It worked kind of before I was rolling onto the ground. I heard Jayden, Hunter, and Kalonice call out to me and I just rolled back onto my feet. I swiped my mouth of dirt and saliva, and ran after the thing; zipping past the others. I could taste iron in my mouth and the thought of biting my tongue was swallowed by my adrenaline.

I chased after the thing as it pushed itself through the forest, its legs crushing the ground. Tendrils shot out of it, aiming towards me and I jumped into the air, going through the trees and free flying and onto the ground. The tendrils broke the trees, slice through the air, and crushed the ground, and I was pushed back a few times.

But I still chased.

I had to rescue Alex. Azalea. Clara.

I had to.

I needed to atone. 


	22. From other eyes

** KALONICE **

It all happened so fast.

There was so many things going on.

One moment, everything was normal. We all followed Jessica and Stella to a party and even though we knew we shouldn't be out this late, we still did it. Kaitlyn was fidgeting but still acted otherwise normal. I knew something was off with Kaitlyn since the last few weeks, I could see her face going from her usual happy, go lucky demeanor to a more serious, daunting look.

The others don't seem to have realized, but I didn't think too much of it.

Sometimes Kaitlyn had these moments of deep thought and I thought she had some deep realization.

I wish I hadn't known that

It was all so bizarre, seeing Jessica's fists go aflame and seeing her getting pushed back by a shot of electricity. Imagine my surprise when the electricity come from Kaitlyn's hand.

Then there was Stella.. then there was that talk??

No wait, that wasn't how it happened.

First when we had gone deep into the woods, Kaitlyn had called out to Stella and Jessica. We all turned and we saw Kaitlyn slowing walking backwards. We were confused what she was doing but it didn't seem too out of character.

Then that's when everything went to hell.

Electricity radiated off Kaitlyn, moving around protectively before it shot out. We saw Jessica with fire coming from her fists, then before she could charge at Kaitlyn, the electricity shot her backwards; stunning her. Then we saw the shadows rise from Stella and shoot out of her arms and punched Kaitlyn; who screamed and cursed at the pain.

Everything was a whirl and then we were held down when Stella inserted that...shadowy ball thingy into us.

Afterwards, that was a blur. Like I was waking up from a dream. I remembered glimpses and scenes but not all of it was coherent.

And then I woke up, with Alex hovering over me. My eyes squinted at the light and then I realized it was coming off Alex's hands. The bluish light felt nice like cool mint, but before I had a chance to savour it, he lowered his hands.

I saw Clara and Azalea also looking around confused but I couldn't see Stella and Jessica. I saw Kai staring at us, shocked but also relieved. There was something earlier in her eyes but I couldn't tell from the lack of proper light.

Then, all of a sudden, we saw the earth rise and we saw Jayden form stone benches from the earth and made a firepit. We all watched confused while we gathered out bearings as a fire was built.

The bomb of what had been happening to Kaitlyn and the others was rather, sudden and honestly, unreal.

But what sold it was how tired Kaitlyn was and how her face was devoid of all the energy Kaitlyn would typically have.

"Do you really think this is all real?" asked Azalea, who was hugging herself and curling into herself.

Clara was rubbing her arms and it wasn't from the cold.

I glanced at Kaitlyn who was walking away for a moment and I caught the flash of hurt over her face. My breathing stopped in that moment but I forced myself to regain composure.

"It has to be. We might think this is not, but for Kaitlyn? The others? They clearly went through something and we can't ignore that."

"But Stella? Jessica? Evil? They can't be evil-"

"Tell that to Kaitlyn. She's been holding her shoulder and you two might've been out of it, but I remembered...when we were possessed, I saw Stella inflict that injury. This has been taking a toll of Kaitlyn and if we don't cooperate, it'll just make things worse."

I was surprised for saying all that but my emotions said otherwise.

"Still...to hide this from us...doesn't she trust us?" asked Azalea.

Clara was snapped out of her own pit of emotions and rounded on Azalea surprised.

"Azalea! How can you say that? You're closer to Kaitlyn then the rest of us!"

"Yeah, but you think she would've told us" she defended.

I could tell Azalea was hurt but it wasn't like Kaitlyn intentionally hurt us.

"Azalea, Kaitlyn had amnesia until recently. Also like how was she supposed to drop this information on us from the get go? As awesome it sounds for me that some supernatural force is at play, it's not like we would've believed her!" I explained, defending Kaitlyn.

Sure, hiding from us was not a good thing but this was Kaitlyn. She was entitled to her own secrets but deep down, we all knew that Kaitlyn was a good person. If she had known this would've brought us danger, she would've told us immediately.

Before we could even say anything else, we heard a rustle and then I blacked out. Out of the shadows rose a giant beast that reminded me of a werewolf but demented. It's bleak red eyes regarded us and attacked us.

I only remembered was my powers activating and wind swirled around me. I could only push it back and knocked it back, but it didn't do any real damage.

Jayden, Alex, and Hunter went to fight it but then more of those things came back.

Then Clara and Azalea ran which allowed them to get captured. Alex went to rescue them, but we saw Jason and Stella come out.

I was shocked, to say the least, and the two just created this weird... monster that swallowed the three of them.

Hunter and Jayden were injured, and I was trying to protect them. I didn't know where Kaitlyn was but lo and behold, I saw a flash of lightning and there was a howl.

I watched in fascination and awe as I saw Kaitlyn stab the beast with her spear and was riding on it. She kept digging and let out shocks of electricity until the beast went down. Then she disappeared as quick as she went. After the beast she did.

Silence took over and the fire was disappearing.

Hunter hissed and cursed as Jayden was trying to tend to his friend; but he wasn't in any better shape either.

"What...what can I do?" I asked helplessly.

Jayden seemed tired, but he gave a gentle smile to me, "Can you keep watch, please?"

I nodded, unsure what else to say and stood around lamely.

I felt powerlessly, and I could only watch Jayden tearing his plaid jacket apart and wrap around Hunter's bleeding arm. I saw Hunter dig out a small first aid kit and saw Hunter use an antiseptic, to which Hunter and Jayden hissed when they used it.

I heard a rustle and I held out my hands to send whatever was coming a blast of air.

My heart hammered against my chest as I waited in anticipation and the out of the bushes, I saw...

"Sophia?"

Hunter and Jayden turned, and they too were surprised.

"Sophia? Why are you here?" asked Hunter.

Sophia seemed shocked as well but jogged over, placing the flashlight down.

"Everyone is looking for you" said Sophia and seemed to take in Hunter's and Jayden's injuries. She looked at me and I felt like I was put on the spot due to her cool gaze.

"And you for that matter. All of you. You guys were gone and when they checked on everyone, the last we heard was that you guys left the hotel. When you didn't come back after curfew and hours passed, we thought you guys were lost."

"Lost, if only it were that simple" scoffed Hunter.

Sophia gave him a look but continued, "Then we were told was that you guys disappeared into the forest and we all went to look for you; but not one seemed to find anything. No matter how long and far we went, it seemed to never end... until I found you guys."

"Wait, we're not even _that_ deep" said Jayden, "You should've found us a few hours ago!"

"That's the strange thing. It felt like we were going in circles. We could go back out of the forest, but never go any further. It's as if something is at work..." trailed off Sophia. I saw her eyes glance at me and I knew she was choosing her words carefully around me.

I also had a feeling that Sophia knew what was going on.

Hunter let out an exasperated sigh, "The cat's out of the bag Sophia. Kalonice knows, Kai remembers."

In one of those rare times, I saw Sophia's eyes widen in shock.

"What? So you mean to tell me Kai..."

Hunter nodded, "Yeah. Jason is a power user too and he corrupted Stella and Jessica. Kalonice, was also corrupted with the rest of Kai's friends. Alex managed to undo some of it but Stella and Jessica are still under Jason's control. They just kidnapped Alex, Azalea, and Clara and Kai chased after them."

I swore I could hear Hunter muttered, "idiot" and Jayden punched his arm to which Hunter cursed in pain.

Sophia looked at the broken shrubbery and the new, giant path it had created.

"We need to help Kai" said Sophia as she got up.

"But you don't have powers!" I interjected and saw Sophia snap her gaze towards me.

"Or... do you?" I asked, not more tentatively.

Sophia only gave me a sly smile and I felt a shiver.

Oh...oh dear.

** ALEX **

There was only darkness and I could faintly hear Kai yelling my name. I could only listen to my hearing to gather what was going on. I heard trees and ground breaking and zips of electricity.

Then the next thing I knew, I was rolling onto the ground and was held down by Jason.

I saw the monster they created spit out Clara and Azalea with Jessica holding them still. Stella had two dark spheres ready and her hand was slowly darkening.

Dazed from being jostled around and Jason holding me down with shadows, I tried to get a handle on my surroundings. It looked like we were in some abandoned concrete building. There was graffiti lining the walls and honestly looked like a wreck. I could still hear the trees brushing against each other outside and I only hoped we hadn't gone too far.

"Why are you doing this?" I snapped at Jason.

He gave me a hateful look and kicked my stomach. I let out a yell, but I didn't give him the satisfaction that it really did hurt. He pulled at the front of my hoodie so I could look at him.

"I have plans, Alexander" growled Jason, "I have my own personal plans for you Alex but I have my orders."

Jason dragged me and I could only watch as Jason stand and looked at Stella. "Do it" he said, "Kaitlyn won't be any longer and I need her."

I widened my eyes and thrashed at the shadowy bounds. "LEAVE KAI OUT OF THIS!"

Jason looked at me and sneered, "Sucks for you Alexander, Kai is also important and I can't just let her go. Also...hurting her gives me more satisfaction in causing you pain."

My breathing hitched and I suddenly felt very heavy. I watched Stella hold out the spheres and walked up to Azalea and Clara, ready to corrupt them once more. The two were crying and tried to break out of Jessica's grip, but it was vice.

Blood roared in my ears and I could only watch. I may not be close to them, I still knew them. They were Kai's friends and-

I could do anything but watch and I didn't want to. I closed my eyes shut, hoping it would go away and thought to myself pleadingly.

_'Kai!'_

And then I heard it.

A roar that tore through the night sky and the sound not only shook the air, but also the ground. Stella and Jessica lost their footing and Jason cursed.

Then I heard it again.

Lightning struck down repeatedly and became more and more frequent. Ozone filled the air and I could feel my hair rising.

There was howling, growls, and hissing and I felt the bounds on me tighten. The shadows grew more agitated and I looked up at Jason and I tried not to panic. What looked like to be dark ink started to cover his hands and his eyes, with his veins turning black as well. He bared his teeth as he looked around, before growling out: "Kai"

Hope and relief filled me but that was short lived.

"What are you doing?! Hurry, she'll be here any moment!"

Stella jumped in shock and nodded, before quickly resuming what she had to do. The spheres had long dissipated and she had to make new ones.

' _Kai! Hurry!'_ I thought.

Then I heard it...I heard Kai.

' _Alex, I'm coming!'_

I snapped my head up in shock and looked around. Kai's voice...I could hear it so clearly like she was right beside me but she wasn't here...unless.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I listened to the lightning and thunder going through the air and they were getting closer and closer. An idea appeared in my head and I acted on it. I let out a yell and summoned as much energy as I could; pushing through the pain on whatever inhibition that Jason put on me.

Light burst out my hands and caused the shadows to let go of me. The light and my yelling distracted the others and they focused their attention on me. I ignore the looks, the stares and slammed myself into Jason.

We toppled over, and I threw a punch. It was weak physically, but I never intended to go for damage. When I brought my fist down, I released the built-up light and it combusted, sending light everywhere.

Jason yelled in pain as Stella did the same. The shadows hissed and screeched as they were pushed back. Jessica cursed and then I heard it.

That crack of lightning.

There was a loud boom that went through the air as wind and rain pummeled down onto the earth.

The lightning shot through ceiling and cement and powder fell. We all looked and crackling and looking awesome (and a bit excessive), was Kai.

Before, only her arms and legs radiated electricity but now? This was a whole new level. Her entire body radiated energy and her hair fluttered and seemed to wave through the air like nothing. Her eyes were bright in a literal sense, with her eyes no longer brown...they were now amber like.

Excess energy flowed out of her and it almost looked like...she had wings. Kai looked around and our eyes met.

_'Alex...'_

I gasped and held my head with one hand, to stabilize it. So I wasn't imagining it...it was really Kai's voice.

_'Alex.'_

' _I hear you'_ I thought back.

She nodded and looked at Jason who had retreated back, looking awfully frustrated. Stella and her friends just stared at Kai in either awe or confusion, I didn't know.

 _'Alex,'_ I turned to Kai's voice. _'Are you okay?'_

I nodded.

She nodded back before Kai raised her spear up and gave it an experimental spin. It cut through the air and almost reminded me of a laser sword.

Stella and Jessica got into position and charged. Kai jumped back as their fists collided the ground where Kai once stood, and it almost looked like Kai was floating for a moment. With a wide arc, Kai dove back down and hit the ground with her spear. Electricity shot out and the spear seemed to disappear into the air, sending electricity forwards.

The ground exploded and it sent Stella and Jessica flying backwards. They lay there, their muscles twitching and I can only presume that Kai had stunned them. For how long, I didn't know but then Jason shot out towards Azalea and Clara.

The two just stood there in fear and Jason was flying backwards. Kai and Jason exchanged blows and I got up. I ran towards Clara and Azalea while shooting bursts of light at the Shadow creatures.

"Come on!" I yelled, grabbing Azalea's and Clara's arms. I forced them to get back up and we started to run for the exit. I looked back and that was mistake.

Jason saw us leaving and he kicked off Kai, who flew in the air.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE THAT EASILY!" yelled Jason and then a giant dark hole appeared near the exit. It started to bulge and out of it, rose another of those giant beasts.

I stood in front of Azalea and Clara, standing between that thing and them.

This was getting crazier and crazier. 


	23. Together Always

When I was chasing after them, losing momentum and was losing sight of them, I was tired. I didn't know how long we have been fighting for but it was definitely hours. I was going to run on fumes and the fight wasn't close to being over!

Desperation start to rise within me.

I needed to find Alex, Azalea, and Clara. I didn't know how much energy I could expend to hold Jason and the others, but if it came down to it...I would have to hold them off until the others escaped.

Memories flashed in my mind and I felt sick. I wanted to stop and throw up.

But I couldn't.

I had to keep pressing on.

And then at that moment...I heard Alex's voice in my head. It sounded so real...so close. Like he was literally with me; but he couldn't be.

Was I already that far gone...?

No...Alex needed me. He was my best friend, I wasn't going to lose it now. _Not now, not soon!_

I felt myself become lighter and honestly better. As cliché as it sounded, I felt like something within me woke and I felt a sudden surge in power. My fingertips twitched as I summoned more electricity. The wind began to pick up drastically and I could hear the rolling of thunder.

Thunder...

Wait.

I looked up and the familiar forming of storm clouds. I could feel the electricity building up and an idea popped into my head. What if...

Summoning electricity into my hands, I created my spear once more and took a deep breath. Memories flashed in my head once more and I re-steadied my hand. The last time I did this...was when I forfeited my memories and had amnesia.

But...this was a risk I needed to take.

For Alex. For Azalea and Clara...for everyone.

Before I could chicken out, I thrust my spear into the air and let out a yell. I shot out a stream of electricity into the sky, illuminating the area around me. Thunder roared and lightning crackled. I grit my teeth as I could feel the electricity building.

I looked up and saw the storm clouds swirling around the beam of electricity I had created, the storm growing more and more erratic. Lightning shot out and I think I heard a tree explode in the distance.

The hair on my body began to rise and sparks of static became visible.

And then, lightning struck down and hit me.

It was an odd sensation, an evenly deadlier one if I didn't have my powers. It was like having a shuddering shiver, the one that made you wiggle; but instead of the feeling going outwards, the sensation went inwards. My body grew warmer and almost blistering hot like I was in a sauna. My muscles twitched and spasmed, but they also grew stronger.

My body felt like it was absorbing everything and then it filled and filled, until-

I slammed my spear into Jason's shadow sword; my body lashing out with electricity. Jason's form had definitely changed as his shadows were now enveloping him more and more; covering him and forming it into how he wished now.

Jason sneered as I saw a drop of sweat roll down his face. My own sweat respirated but they either evaporated due to the heat of the electricity or were oxidizing.

"So that's how you did it," grunted out Jason as he pushed forwards. "I'll give it to you, Kai. I never thought you would take such a risky gamble; what if you miscalculated? What if you gave yourself amnesia again?"

I tried not to think about it but I had one definite answer: "My memories may be gone and might never return, but I know I will remember every emotion...every experience!"

Jason's face turned into one of disgust and disbelief. "You honestly believe that? How naïve!"

He swung his sword and I was forced back. I shot out a beam of electricity and we fought each other again and again.

I tried to get closer to Alex, Azalea, and Clara and deal with the beast, but Jason kept intercepting me. Alex was holding out on his own for now, but he was struggling. Clara and Azalea were doing what they can with their own powers, but they were still weak. Not to mention, there was also the Shadows that were surrounding them and closing in. The ri

Stella and Jessica were still stunned but I wasn't sure for how long.

Frankly, we were outnumbered.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stella and Jessica rising.

Great, me and my big mouth.

Stella and Jessica prepared to enter the fray, the ring of Shadows got tighter and tighter. Azalea, Clara, and Alex were getting pushed together and closer to the giant beast.

Stella and Jessica lunged at me, powers ablaze. Just as they were about to get a good hit and I was unable to move because I was locked into combat with Jason, there was a HUGE blast of icy, cold wind.

At first, I thought nothing of it since growing up in Canada, you get used to the cold at times, but...I remembered. It was supposed to be almost summer.

The blast of cold air blew into the building, filling it and I instinctively covered my face with my arm. I looked and realized ice was climbing onto my legs. The heat of my electricity was preventing from going any further but the gust was still going.

I looked and my eyes were blown wide with surprise.

There was ice?!

I blinked in surprise as I looked around to see fluttering freckles of snowflakes. The ground was being covered with ice that grew on top of each other and were climbing the walls. I tried to find the source and gaped at who were standing at the exit.

Lo and behold, stood Kalonice and Sophia. The two slowly entered the buildings, their hands out stretched out. If the wind was coming from Kalonice, then that meant Sophia was casting the ice?!

I looked at Jason who was trying to hack away at the ice climbing over him, and heard ice being repeatedly broken. I turned to her and saw Jessica frantically trying to break the ice but they were forming faster then she could break them. The fire in Jessica's hands flickered like the fire on a candle about to blown out, thanks to Kalonice's wind.

Stella who was free from the ice but was slipping and trying to avoid the layering ice. The wind pushing against her hindered her advancement towards me.

I slammed my spear against the ice against my legs and broke free, before extending my spear; launching myself forward towards the giant beast.

I pierced it and let out a discharge, earning a distorted howl. The ring of Shadow surrounding me jumped at me and before I could make a move, two blurs occurred on either side of me and the Shadows were decimated.

I felt a grin appear on my face as Hunter and Jayden turned towards me, looking smug.

"Look at you two with your smug faces!" I yelled, before I flipped off from the beast and landing on the ground. I swung my spear and slashed at the beast before helping Alex up.

"Look at you, looking all godly like" fired back Hunter, shouldering his metal sword. I assumed he found all the abandoned metalworks that I saw earlier and forged his own sword.

Jayden rotated his shoulders, his giant earth gauntlets sprinkling dirt. "How did you do that by the way?" he asked curiously.

I thought of telling them, but I was pretty sure they were going to lecture me from doing such a large gamble. Alex gave me a pointedly look and I could feel sweat dripping on my back from his stare.

 _'He knows...'_ I thought.

 _'Of course I know,'_ he thought back to me.

_'Damn.'_

Hunter and Jayden gave us weird looks and I assumed our faces gave it away.

Luckily, I didn't need to say anything because the wind died down and the ice stopped forming. We looked as Sophia and Kalonice came up to us; tiredness etched onto their faces.

"Wow, I didn't know you two could tag team" I said, turning to them.

Kalonice gave me a tired smirk and Sophia simply gave one of her sneaky smiles. I wanted to know how Sophia got her powers and how long she had them, but unfortunately, we didn't have that luxury to ask. Jessica, Stella, and Jason regained their composure and the advantage of surprise had vanished.

Jason looked even more angrier and I readied myself. The shadows started to form behind Jason, as Stella and Jessica flanked his sides.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Kalonice; as she too got ready to fight.

"We need to take care of Jason. I can hold him off but we need to subdue Jessica and Stella, Alex stay here so you can stay safe, act as healer, and undo the damage. Kalonice, Sophia you two act as Support and protect Alex, Azalea, and Clara."

I could feel some hesitation, but we didn't have time to think of anything else. Jason pointed his sword and ordered the charge. We all went forward, and I could hear earth rising behind me.

I slammed into Jason as we fought once more; my electricity flaring up. Jason and I crossed weapons into each other and I fought off any shadows that came at me. Some escaped past me and charged towards Alex.

When I looked from the moments I was faced where Alex were, I saw a small wall of earth that acted as a barricade and was enforced with ice with spikes protruding from it. I could feel gusts of wind and assumed that was Kalonice.

"Give it up, you're never going to escape" said Jason as we were in deadlock.

"Why?" I asked, gritting my teeth against the pressure.

"Even if you defeat me, even if you free your friends, you're being watched. You've always been-" said Jason before we made space between each other.

We were out of breath and I could feel my current form flickering, as well as Jason.

The sound of the battle surrounding us were either being drowned out or were dying down. The two of us were spent and I realized Jason had been using more of his energy, since he had been summoning Shadows left and right.

There was also Stella aiding him, but I didn't think she contributed a lot due to the fact Stella was new at her powers (or so I hoped) ...not to mention she seemed to favour using physical means.

' _Kai, keep him occupied. We got Stella and Jessica, Hunter and Jayden are going to launch a surprise attack'_ thought out Alex.

It took all of my effort not to nod my head in response. I flexed my fingers on my spear as I prepared to fight. I tried to think several ideas on my next move. I was going to run out of energy soon, so one charge.

That's all I had.

I saw Hunter and Jayden inching closer out of my peripheral vision. Jason's back was facing towards them, but I hoped it would stay that way.

I kept moving my spear and shuffling my foot, keeping Jason's attention at me.

"Since we're not fighting at the moment," I said; breathing out heavily and slightly exaggerated. "Why all this? How do we even have powers? And why us?"

I threw my arms open, as I tilted my head at him.

"You're asking this now?" scoffed Jason, before he pointed his sword at me. I kept my arms open but remained unfazed. He gave an exasperated sigh before he spoke again. "Look at us, how many of us do you think are blessed to have these powers? To think we were chosen? _You_ , Kai, should know what it's like to be chosen-"

 _Chosen?_ What an odd choice of words there.

"-and yet you defied His orders...HIS offer! And now here you are, lost with your memories, the potential, and you defend _him!"_ spat Jason, pointing his sword at Alex.

I was ready to jump if he was going to attack Alex, but nothing came. Jason seemed to get more and more into it.

"I have orders. I have to complete them, and He will grant me my wish. And any other wishes I desire," said Jason as he begun to inch closer to me, "But you and Alex are vital to our plans, which makes you valuable-"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I didn't want him to nor did I care. While curiousity would eventually come and egg me on, I would be satisfied. I would be fine if we continued to live as normally as possible. As long we were safe, I didn't care.

Eventually, these troubles would be nothing then a bad dream.

I let out the discharge and as it inched towards Jason, he was about to move but Hunter threw his sword as it thinned and locked Jason into the earth. Jayden's gauntlets grew and he wrapped them around Jason, to enforce.   
  


There was a giant flash of electricity and an explosion of light occurred. The blast was so much I could feel wind hitting my face but I only felt bad as I whispered "I'm sorry."

The light died down and I saw Hunter and Jayden on the ground. Jason had passed out, was kind of sting but was otherwise alive. He lay limp in the earth prison Jayden had made.

"Hunter! Jayden!" I called out, jogging towards them. My muscles were numb and tired so they almost crossed into each other; threatening to trip me.

I got onto my knees as my hands touched both of their faces. I looked for any signs of consciousness and I feared the worse.

That was a stupid move. Because of my lack of control, Jayden and Hunter were caught in the crossfire. I-

Tears began to prickle and threatened to fall; blurring my vision. A tear or two fell down my cheeks and my throat felt constricted.

And then I heard a few groans and hands on my own. They were held and squeezed reassuringly before I heard slurred words.

"Why the heck are you crying for?' murmured Hunter.

I let out a shaky laugh in relief as Jayden reprimand him, "It's Kai, you think she's not going to cry over us?"

Hunter groaned before he got up, still holding my hand. "Yeah but doesn't mean she has to..."

Jayden also got up and playfully hit his best friend in the arm. "Shut up, crying is a good release."

I then felt Hunter and Jayden wipe my eyes with their sleeves and I could only laugh and hug them. They let me hug them and patted my back for good measure.

"What the-" we all turned as I saw Stella just sitting on the ground as Alex gave an exasperated smile.

"Where the f*** are we?" questioned Stella. I tried my best to hide my appall at Stella's choice of words, before helping Jayden and Hunter up before the two started to help each other towards Alex.

I gave my own exasperated smile as I ran my hand through my hair. I could feel my arms singed with burns and cuts, with the numbness starting to disappear. Ache started to kick instead but I managed to speak.

"It's a long story, one I think I can't tell all by myself" I said, looking at everyone. Sophia merely tilted her head with a smile.

Jessica seemed fine now as confusion was all over her face as well. Kalonice and Sophia helped Stella and Jessica up and back to Azalea and Clara; who were relieved that the rest of our group was no longer possessed.

Alex chastising Hunter and Jayden while healing them, to which playful banter occurred. I stood where I was, still tired and my muscles were still numbed. It was like I had sat for too long without blood circulating and now it was the pins and needles feeling.

I just watched in contentment now that everything was over and my friends were safe. There were questions still left to be answered but we would figure it out together.

When my muscles regained more of it's feeling, I begun to walk forward.

Then,

I felt my stomach drop and burning hot.

I was confused, and I heard yelling. I was sure I also visibly stuttered forward and felt the air within me being pushed out. Then there was nothing...but I knew something was very, very wrong.

I then looked behind me to see what hit me and then to my surprise (but not as much as I thought I would be), I saw Amanda. She seemed to close and then my clogs in my brain had turned.

I slowly looked down at my stomach and saw a small burning knife.

I then felt like I was being jostled before all feeling within me left. My knees buckled and I fell forward, my face coming closer to the ground.

My side met the ground and I heard laughing. An deranged laughter. My vision started to dim and I heard screaming, crying, and yelling.   
The earth shook and I wasn't sure if I was going into shock or the earth was _literally_ shaking because of someone...

Then Shadows rose and I heard Jason's voice. I saw feet run past me and surround me. I felt someone gingerly turn me, so I was facing upwards. Arms held me and there were tears dropping onto my face.

My eyes met with Alex's violet eyes that stood out in the dimming vision. I could see his mouth moving but there was no sound...

 _'Ah...I...was-_ ' I thought before I lost it.

It was getting colder and colder. I wanted to sleep so bad.

I turned my head as my neck went weak for a moment. I saw Sophia, ice flurrying around her as she went head to head with Amanda. Ice VS Fire...

I could see the familiar bluish-green light emitting from Alex's hands, and out of the corner I saw Jason stalking towards Alex. He had his sword raised but Hunter and Jayden went to fight him on.

There was so much going on...

I felt hands turning my face towards Alex as my hearing returned for a moment.

"Kai...don't leave me please...I can't lose you too, I can't lose my best friend" sobbed Alex as he placed his forehead against mines. Tears were splattering against my face as I shakily raised my hand with all my strength.

Darkness started to pour out of him and I didn't like that... nope. Not at all...

I gingerly and pitifully slapped his cheek, which came out more of as a pat. Alex looked at me as I stuck out my tongue at him. I held his face as I tried to smile at him, to reassure him at most.

"Until the end" I slurred out.

Alex blinked, sending more tears onto my face as he gave a broken smile. He placed his forehead against mines and I hugged him. I felt myself disappear but I managed to say a few more words.

"Until the end, in this world...or another. Always together" I murmured to him.

Alex nodded as he hugged me tighter.

I could see the light...

"Always together..."

"Literally best friends forever" I joked weakly and sleepily.

Alex laughed, albeit shakily, but still laughed and the light got brighter. He pressed his forehead against mines as he gathered his breath, a weak smile on his face.

_"Best friends forever."_

Then the light flashed out, filling my entire vision and filled everything, sending everything to be bathed in light. All the sounds were drowned out and then there was...nothing. 


	24. Back to where it all started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The End, till again

Kai woke up in her bed. She blinked blearily and was in her post-sleep haze. The room, despite having the heater on, was still cold.

Tempting it, she lifted her blanket but was welcomed with cold air. Shuddering from the cold front, Kai quickly slid back underneath her covers; seeking ultimate shelter in it. She closed her eyes and savoured the warmth, her brain lulling back to sleep.

She briefly dreamt again, her body going back to sleep...

_Kai opened her eyes and found herself in a giant room. She removed herself from where she sat, looking down at the black and white checkered floors. She stared at herself through it's sheen. Removing her gaze, Kai looked around._

_The room was back to normal._

'Wait...normal?' _she thought to herself._

_Kai gave a wide sweep around the room, the banners stood where they were but the figures that underneath them were gone. But what was new however, were the seats underneath them now._

_She turned to her own seat, where she sat and woke from a moment ago, and looked up at the banner. There she saw a banner with a lightning bolt as it's symbol. The main fabric was yellow but had a slight sheen to it, that sparkled. The symbol itself was white, bright and glowing._

_Kai looked to her left and right, was a green banner and a red banner respectively. The Green banner, reminded of the early signs of spring, and was similar in design with it's simplicity, but the symbol itself was triangular but one side curled on one half._ Earth.

 _The Red Banner was bold and warm, reminding Kai of the glowing embers, and it's design was a swirling flame._ Fire.

 _On the other side, Lightning faced an icy blue banner. The colour reminded Kai of the snow caps of the pole and ice...it's symbol was a snowflake._ Ice.

 _By it's sides, was a blue banner, with a tear drop on it:_ Water, _and the other was a more neutral blue with swirling gusts of air._ Air.

_All underneath the banners were chairs and Kai could make semblances of a figure but she was unclear of their features. Removing her eyes from them, she focused onto the giant white and black doors._

_Kai walked forwards to the middle and faced them both. The black door, that once appeared into her dreams, was content and silent. It no longer radiated anything as it simply stood there._

_The two grand doors also had their own banners that rose upwards. Kai looked and there was no real ceiling._

_She remembered seeing a black void before but now? There were now scattered dots of light, and swirls; reminding Kai of the night sky or space even._

_And there, she saw something descend. It seemed to tear itself from above and fluttered down. Tapestries connected itself to the ones on the walls and it rose into a center towards the void. It reminded Kai of a tent and when Kai went to look into the center point._

_She looked and saw a symbol._

_As she tried to make it out, the symbol emitted a light and bathed Kai in it._

_Memories flashed in her mind and_ Kai gasped out loud awake.

She forced herself out of the covers and cold sweat covered her skin. Her entire body shook, and Kai gripped her blankets in a death grip.

' _Was that...did that even happen?'_ she thought to herself.

There was a weird throbbing pain and Kai felt herself shiver. Lifting her shirt up to find the source of the sensation and while there was no real scar, Kai knew what it was from.

Kai then grabbed her phone and checked the time. It was still early but what made bizarre as the date.

It was Autumn, and in her memories, she remembered it being Summer....

Either it was all a weird, and a very realistic dream...

 _'Or I had gone back in time'_ realized Kai.

After double checking the date, Kai had gotten ready for the day and prepared for school. To her, it felt like De-ja vu, as she lived the same day and same motions of the day. It was practically a play by play motions.

She had thought it would be hard to pretend she hadn't live through this same day, but the force of habits and routine made it easier to go through the first part of the day without much thought.

"So that was real" murmured Alex as the two hugged each other.

Kai nodded as she and Alex sat in front of each other.

As soon the two reached Sparrow Creek high and saw each other, they ran into each other and hugging each other. They received some weird looks from the student body but after what had happened (Whether in the future or in another timeline), the two didn't care.

Kai took out a new notebook and handed it to Alex; who begun to read the first few pages that were written.

"I started to write down all I could remember" said Kai as she bit the end of her pen. Teeth marks already embedded in the plastic. "If not to know what will happen, but to remember."

Alex slowly closed the notebook and looked at Kai.

"What do you think this could mean for us Kai?"

Kai stared at Alex, trying to gather her answer. She still had amnesia but because of the other life they had went through, everything was kickstarted. Jason who Kai remembered was supposed to be introduced this year, wasn't.

That could only indicate that this timeline was already different.

Kai took back her notebook and drummed her fingers on it, "I don't know" she admitted, "but I know now we know what's out there and what we need to do if things do go wrong..."

"We'll be prepared" affirmed Alex.

Kai nodded and looked at her notebook.

"After I finish writing everything down and once we confirm a few things, we need to tell Jayden and Hunter. They have the right to know."

Alex nodded in agreement. "What about your friends...?" he carefully questioned.

Kai shook her head, "Nothing. If things are what I think they are, they haven't had their powers yet and they don't seem to suspect anything. It's best we keep everything to ourselves..."

"And if they have powers?"

Kai took out a permanent marker and begun to label the notebook, "Then we know what to do."

Alex nodded once more as he watched Kai label the notebook.

"Together" said Alex.

Kai grinned and cackled before the two fist-pumped each other.

"Together, until the end of time" cheered Kai.

Alex snorted and pushed Kai playfully. The two playfully bantered before they saw Jayden and Hunter making their way towards them.

Alex got up as Kai packed her things, before stuffing the notebook labelled "ELEMENTALS" into her bag.

_**[The End]** _

* * *

_A/N: Well, that's it folks!_

_Thanks of reading to the end of this book! It's been a long time coming for me and while I have ideas for book 2, it'll probably not anytime soon. But when I do, well...stay tuned to find out. In the mean time, I'll be crafting more ideas and new stories cause man, after re-writing the same damn idea over 12+ times, I need a break from this one series._

_Anyways, thanks again for reading and I hope to see you soon!_


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